House of Commons Public Bill Committee Proceedings

House of Commons

Session 2006 - 07
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007
152

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

‘(4)
In drafting the Code and supervising compliance thereto, the Board shall have

regard to the duties set out in section 26 of this Act.’.

Dr Vincent Cable

Julia Goldsworthy

Not called  44

Page  5,  line  19  [Clause  10],  at end insert—

‘(4)
All those who produce National Statistics must conform to the Code of Practice

unless the Board accepts and publishes any case for deviation, consulting the

Board on matters of interpretation as necessary, and reporting any breach of the

Code to the Board.’.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not called  23

Page  5,  line  20,  leave out Clause 11.

Dr Vincent Cable

Julia Goldsworthy

Not called  35

Page  5,  line  21  [Clause  11],  leave out ‘may not’ and insert ‘shall’.

Dr Vincent Cable

Julia Goldsworthy

Not called  36

Page  5,  line  32  [Clause  11],  after ‘granted’, insert ‘up to a maximum of two hours

before general release’.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not called  18

Page  6,  line  15  [Clause  12],  leave out ‘At the request of the appropriate authority’.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not called  19

Page  6,  line  16  [Clause  12],  leave out ‘National’ and insert ‘Official’.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not called  20

Page  6,  line  17  [Clause  12],  leave out ‘in relation to any’ and insert ‘by the

authorities responsible for producing’.

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007
153

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not called  21

Page  6  [Clause  12],  leave out lines 19 to 22.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not called  22

Page  6  [Clause  12],  leave out lines 29 to 44.

Dr Vincent Cable

Julia Goldsworthy

Not called  34

Page  6,  line  44  [Clause  12],  at end insert—

‘(9)
The Board shall have the authority to initiate an assessment process to designate

any set of official statistics as National Statistics with the provision that the board

must inform the appropriate authority before initiating the process.’.

Dr Vincent Cable

Julia Goldsworthy

Not called  37

Page  8,  line  11  [Clause  17],  leave out subsection (4).

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not called  10

Page  8,  line  17  [Clause  18],  leave out ‘Board’ and insert ‘National Statistician’.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not called  11

Page  8,  line  19  [Clause  18],  leave out ‘Board’ and insert ‘National Statistician’.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not called  12

Page  8,  line  21  [Clause  18],  leave out ‘Board’ and insert ‘National Statistician’.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not called  13

Page  8,  line  23  [Clause  18],  leave out ‘Board’ and insert ‘National Statistician’.

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007
154

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not called  14

Page  8,  line  25  [Clause  18],  leave out ‘Board’ and insert ‘National Statistician’.

Dr Vincent Cable

Julia Goldsworthy

Not selected  38

Page  10,  line  33  [Clause  25],  leave out ‘as soon as possible thereafter’ and insert

‘concurrently’.

Mr Alex Salmond

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Stewart Hosie

Adam Price

Angus Robertson

Hywel Williams

Not called  51

Page  11,  line  13  [Clause  27],  leave out ‘with the consent of the Chancellor of the

Exchequer’.

Mr Alex Salmond

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Stewart Hosie

Adam Price

Angus Robertson

Hywel Williams

Not called  59

Page  11,  line  20  [Clause  27],  leave out ‘with the consent of the Chancellor of the

Exchequer’.

Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

Agreed to  26

Page  11,  line  35  [Clause  27],  at end insert—

‘( )
Where the Chancellor of the Exchequer gives a direction under this section—

(a)
he must lay a copy before Parliament, and

(b)
he must notify the Scottish Ministers, the Welsh Ministers and the

Department of Finance and Personnel for Northern Ireland of the

direction, who must lay a copy before the Scottish Parliament, the

National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly

respectively.

( )
Where the Scottish Ministers give a direction under this section—

(a)
they must lay a copy before the Scottish Parliament, and

(b)
the Chancellor of the Exchequer must lay a copy before Parliament.

( )
Where the Welsh Ministers give a direction under this section—

(a)
they must lay a copy before the National Assembly for Wales, and

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007
155

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

(b)
the Chancellor of the Exchequer must lay a copy before Parliament.

( )
Where the Department of Finance and Personnel for Northern Ireland gives a

direction under this section—

(a)
it must lay a copy before the Northern Ireland Assembly, and

(b)
the Chancellor of the Exchequer must lay a copy before Parliament.’.

Mr Alex Salmond

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Stewart Hosie

Adam Price

Angus Robertson

Hywel Williams

Not called  52

Page  11,  line  39  [Clause  27],  leave out subsection (9).

Dr Vincent Cable

Julia Goldsworthy

Not called  45

Page  12,  line  17  [Clause  28],  at end insert—

‘(5)
The National Statistician is to be the Government’s principal advisor on statistics

and shall provide professional leadership to all persons engaged in statistical

production and publication.’.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not called  15

Page  12,  line  19  [Clause  29],  leave out ‘Board’ and insert ‘executive office created

under the provisions of subsection (5), below’.

Dr Vincent Cable

Julia Goldsworthy

Not called  39

Page  12,  line  27  [Clause  29],  at end insert—

‘(3A)
The National Statistician shall—

(a)
promote the coordination of statistical planning and production across

government; and

(b)
promote the production of statistics that are consistent across the UK.’.

Dr Vincent Cable

Julia Goldsworthy

Not called  46

Page  12,  line  28  [Clause  29],  after ‘may’, insert ‘not’.

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007
156

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

Dr Vincent Cable

Julia Goldsworthy

Not called  47

Page  12,  line  29  [Clause  29],  leave out ‘not’.

Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

Agreed to  28

Page  16,  line  20  [Clause  37],  leave out ‘this section’ and insert ‘subsection (1)’.

Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

Agreed to  29

Page  16,  line  21  [Clause  37],  at end insert—

‘(3)
Section 26 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 13)

(prohibitions on disclosure) does not, by virtue of section 36 above, apply to

personal information which—

(a)
is held by a Scottish public authority who has received it directly or

indirectly from the Board, and

(b)
is not held by that authority on behalf of the Board.

(4)
In subsection (3) “Scottish public authority” has the same meaning as in the

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.’.

Mr Alex Salmond

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Stewart Hosie

Adam Price

Angus Robertson

Hywel Williams

Not called  53

Page  21,  line  4  [Clause  45],  leave out subsection (7).

Mr Alex Salmond

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Stewart Hosie

Adam Price

Angus Robertson

Hywel Williams

Not called  54

Page  21,  line  7  [Clause  45],  leave out ‘and the Treasury’.

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007
157

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

Mr Alex Salmond

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Stewart Hosie

Adam Price

Angus Robertson

Hywel Williams

Not called  55

Page  24,  line  16  [Clause  49],  leave out subsection (7).

Mr Alex Salmond

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Stewart Hosie

Adam Price

Angus Robertson

Hywel Williams

Not called  56

Page  24,  line  19  [Clause  49],  leave out ‘and the Treasury’.

Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

Agreed to  30

Page  28,  line  11  [Clause  57],  at end insert—

‘( )
Section 57 of the Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services

(Scotland) Act 2006 (asp 14) (which provides for a central register kept by the

Registrar General for Scotland for health and local authority purposes) is

amended as follows—

(a)
in subsection (2), in paragraph (d), after “department” insert “or an NHS

body”;

(b)
after that subsection, insert—

“(2A)
In subsection (2)(d), “NHS body” has the same meaning as it has

(apart from in Schedule 15) in the National Health Service Act

2006 (c. 41).”’.

Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

Agreed to  31

Page  28,  line  28  [Clause  60],  leave out ‘In Schedule 2 to the Parliamentary

Commissioner Act 1967 (c. 13)’ and insert ‘The Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967

(c. 13) is amended in accordance with subsections (2) and (3).

(2)
In Schedule 2’.

Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

Agreed to  32

Page  28,  line  31  [Clause  60],  at end insert—

‘(3)
In the Notes to Schedule 2, after the paragraph relating to the Ministry of Defence

insert—


“Statistics Board

In the case of the Statistics Board, no investigation is to be conducted in

relation to any action taken by or on behalf of the Board in the exercise

of any of its functions where the function is being exercised only in

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007
158

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

relation to Scottish devolved statistics (within the meaning of section 63

of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007).”

(4)
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002 (asp 11) is amended in

accordance with subsections (5) and (6).

(5)
In section 7 (matters which may be investigated: restrictions), after subsection

(6A) insert—

“(6B)
The Ombudsman must not investigate action taken by or on behalf of the

Statistics Board in the exercise of any of its functions unless the function

is being exercised only in relation to Scottish devolved statistics (within

the meaning of section 63 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act

2007).”

(6)
In schedule 2 (persons liable to investigation), after paragraph 91 (Security

Industry Authority) insert—

“91A
The Statistics Board.”’.

Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

Agreed to  61

Page  30,  line  34  [Clause  64],  at end insert—

‘“Intelligence Service” means—

(a)
the Security Service,

(b)
the Secret Intelligence Service, or

(c)
GCHQ (within the meaning of the Intelligence Services Act

1994 (c. 13);’

Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

Agreed to  33

Page  31,  line  20  [Clause  64],  after ‘authority”’ insert ‘(except in section 37(3))’.

New Schedule

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Mr Mark Hoban

Mr David Evennett

Not selected  ns1

To move the following Schedule:—

‘Commission for Official Statistics

Tenure of office

1    (1)
Subject to paragraph 2 of this Schedule, a member of the Commission shall

vacate his office—