Memorandum by the Office for National
Statistics
1. DESCRIPTION
OF THE
OFFICE FOR
NATIONAL STATISTICS
AND ITS
RELEVANCE TO
THE INQUIRY
1.1 The Office for National Statistics (ONS)
is responsible for the production and publication of UK National
Statistics. It is the Government Agency that conducts censuses
of population in England and Wales and an extensive range of social
and business surveys and it currently administers the civil registration
service (births, marriages and deaths).
1.2 ONS, and its predecessor departments,
have had an extremely long and close working relationship with
Ordnance Survey and it currently makes extensive use of Ordnance
Survey's products for a wide range of purposes. These include
digital boundaries of administrative and electoral geographies
to underpin the production of statistics and reference/thematic
mapping, grid reference co-ordinates for unit postcodes and geo-referenced
unit postcodes under Consortium arrangements which also support
the production of social and economic statistics, address data
used to provide a corporate address matching capability, and background
mapping to support the enumeration of the 2011 Census and the
regional and local management of social surveys.
1.3 ONS is also conducting research into
the suitability of the Ordnance Survey MasterMap Address Layer
2 product (together with Intelligent Addressing's National Land
and Property Gazetteer product) to provide a comprehensive address
base to support census enumeration.
1.4 ONS and Ordnance Survey hold regular
high level liaison meetings to discuss strategic issues of mutual
interest and benefit. Both organisations are represented on a
number of committees which include the UK Geographic Information
Panel and the Intra-departmental Group on Geographic Information
(IGGI). ONS is also represented on the interdepartmental group
steering the re-negotiation of the Pan Government Agreement for
the provision of mapping and ancillary services to central government.
ORDNANCE SURVEY
: PUBLIC SERVICE
INFORMATION
Q1 In 2002, the Committee's predecessor, the
Transport, Local Government Communities and Local Government Committee,
concluded in its report on Ordnance Survey: "there is a clear
need to define the boundaries of Ordnance Survey public service
and national interest work". To what extent has the position
changed in the intervening five years?
A1: ONS agrees that a clear definition of
Ordnance Survey's responsibilities with respect to "public
sector and national interest work" is essential. ONS is not
aware of any change in the position on this in the past five years.
Q2 In 2002, the Select Committee also identified
"a clear need for some form of independent arbitration so
that conflicts could be resolved" between OS and its partners
and customers. To what extent has that position changed in the
intervening five years?
A2: ONS are aware that Ordnance Survey is
working in an increasingly complex legal and business environment—notably
with recent changes to Competition Law and a number of recent
legal challenges. In our experience it is clear that Ordnance
Survey take their responsibilities to remain within the law extremely
seriously and have made every effort to develop policies which
are fair and consistent across its whole range of customers.
The complexity of this operating environment,
however, does sometimes result in conflicts of views—including
disagreement on points of principle between legal representatives
on either side. Such conflicts are time-consuming and inefficient
to government. ONS are not aware of any change in the situation
on independent arbitration in the past five years and would strongly
support a proposal to introduce such a facility.
GEOGRAPHIC PANEL
Q3 What is your assessment of the UK Geographic
Panel's operation since its introduction in 2005?
A3: The Geographic Information (GI) Panel
is developing into an effective strategic group with the capacity
to provide focussed advice to the Government. It has prioritised
its potential activities under its terms of reference and focussed
almost exclusively on developing a GI strategy for the UK. This
seemed to be appropriate in 2005 but has resulted in a 2 year
delay in action starting on the full range. Work on the GI Strategy
appeared to be largely complete at the December 2006 meeting of
the GI Panel, which approved the main elements of the strategy.
However work seems to have slowed since and the Strategy has not
(as of end May 2007) been presented to Ministers.
The GI Strategy is closely linked to the ground
covered by the INSPIRE Directive and it makes sense to progress
both together. The delay to the Strategy may threaten this link
if the work on INSPIRE goes ahead before the Strategy is agreed.
Apart from its work on the Strategy the GI Panel itself has not
been very active on "To facilitate a co-ordinated position
on potential legislation, both national and international, that
might impact on the geographic information market" which
could have influenced UK work on INSPIRE. It has, though, retained
an interest in progress on INSPIRE.
The GI Panel is not directly resourced which
has limited its capacity for action on its terms of reference.
A resourced secretariat could help it move forward.
Vanessa Lawrence, Director General and Chief
Executive of Ordnance Survey, has been a competent and enthusiastic
chair of the GI Panel. She has acted strategically and does not
appear to have been taking decisions which favour Ordnance Survey.
Vanessa Lawrence has also, however, found it difficult to always
find time for GI Panel business.
Q4 The Select Committee's predecessor, in
recommending in 2002 that an advisory panel on geographic information
should be created, suggested that it should have at least three
members, including the Association for Geographical Information,
OS and a private sector representative. Is the current panel's
membership sufficiently balanced with three private sector representatives
among its 12 members?
A4: Considerable expertise in geographic
information issues is represented by the members of the GI Panel.
Although there are only three private sector representatives the
one from the Association for Geographical Information represents
a wide constituency of private sector bodies and has been active
in keeping them informed about GI Panel discussions. Overall the
existing GI Panel seems to have good dynamics in its meetings,
drawing fairly on the expertise of all its members. The ONS, through
its involvement with the AGI, is not aware of any dissatisfaction
with the balance of the GI Panel.
Q5 In a memorandum to the Committee during
its recent inquiry into DCLG's Annual Report 2006, the Government
said that the ending of NIMSA means "there is no distinction
for OS between public service and commercial activity". If
that is the case, should the head of a commercially active organisation
continue, ex officio, to be official adviser to Ministers on "all
aspects of survey, mapping and geographic information"?
A5: In light of their key role it seems
entirely appropriate that the Director General and Chief Executive
of Ordnance Survey should remain a key official adviser to Ministers
on "all aspects of survey, mapping and geographic information".
It is important however—particularly if the DCLG statement
is considered to be true—that the views of other sectors
or the GI community are taken into account, particularly on longer
term strategic issues. This might be enabled through a strengthening
of the role of the GI Panel and reconsideration of the chairing
of the panel. Vanessa Lawrence has twice been reappointed as chair
reflecting her competence and enthusiasm. But there is a question
as to whether CLG as Ordnance Survey's sponsoring department should
play this role.
NATIONAL INTEREST
MAPPING SERVICES
AGREEMENT
Q6 What impact will the ending of NIMSA have
on OS's own structures, financing, turnover and dividend?
A6: ONS does not have sufficient knowledge
on this issue to be able to respond to this question.
Q7 What impact will the ending of NIMSA have
on rural mapping?
A7: ONS does not have sufficient knowledge
on this issue to be able to respond to this question.
Q8 Will the procurement of necessary services
be more expensive for local authorities now that OS is not providing
them under NIMSA?
A8: ONS does not have sufficient knowledge
on this issue to be able to respond to this question.
COMPETITION
Q9 Some OS competitors allege it is able to
use its position as public sector information holder to compete
unfairly, either by imposing over-stringent and costly licence
conditions or by developing products of its own in direct competition
with theirs but without the associated information licensing costs.
There are further complaints that OS is an effective monopoly,
preventing fair and transparent competition in the geographical
information market. What is your view of these suggestions?
A9: ONS does not have sufficient knowledge
on this issue to be able to comment on the competition aspects
of this question. We note, however, that licensing negotiations
and agreements with Ordnance Survey are sometimes extremely complex
and are consequently time consuming and inefficient for government.
It would be extremely useful if simpler mechanisms for licensing
of Ordnance Survey data could be developed. Such mechanisms would
also simplify and so encourage wider 3rd party use of Ordnance
Survey products and of other public sector information.
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