Statistics and Registration Service Bill
MARSHALLED
LIST OF AMENDMENTS
TO BE MOVED
ON REPORT
[Amendments marked * are new or have been altered]
Amendment
No.
| 1* | Page 2, line 15, at end insert— |
| "(d) | one person who is appointed by the Cabinet Office after consulting the Local Government Association." |
| | BARONESS NOAKES
LORD NEWBY
LORD JENKIN OF RODING
LORD MOSER |
| 2 | Insert the following new Clause— |
| (1) | Subject to the provisions of sections 27 and 28, the National Statistician is to carry out the functions of the Board, and in respect of those functions he is to be the chief executive of the Board. |
| (2) | The non-executive members are to monitor the performance of— |
| (a) | all of the functions of the Board; |
| (b) | the National Statistician; |
| (c) | the Head of Assessment." |
| | BARONESS NOAKES
LORD NEWBY
LORD JENKIN OF RODING |
| 3 | Page 4, line 27, leave out second "and" |
| 4 | Page 4, line 28, at end insert "at national and local levels, |
| ( ) | meeting the information needs of users of statistics, |
| ( ) | producing benefits for citizens, and |
| ( ) | achieving high levels of public trust in statistics." |
| | LORD HOWARD OF RISING
LORD NEWBY
LORD JENKIN OF RODING
LORD MOSER |
| 5 | Insert the following new Clause— |
| | "Co-ordination and consistency |
| (a) | the co-ordination of planning for and production of all official statistics, and |
| (b) | the production of offical statistics that are consistent across all government departments and all parts of the United Kingdom (including the nations and regions.)" |
| 6 | Page 5, line 20, leave out "National" |
| | BARONESS NOAKES
LORD NEWBY
LORD JENKIN OF RODING
LORD MOSER |
| 7 | Page 5, line 20, leave out "National" and insert "Official" |
| | LORD NEWBY
BARONESS NOAKES
LORD JENKIN OF RODING
LORD MOSER |
| 8 | Insert the following new Clause— |
| | "Compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics |
| (1) | All those who produce or publish official statistics shall— |
| (a) | comply with the Code, |
| (b) | consult the Board on matters of interpretation of the Code, and |
| (c) | report to the Board any breaches of the Code. |
| (2) | The Board may determine that compliance with the Code is not necessary in relation to one or more specified set of official statistics and must publish its reasons for any such determination." |
| | BARONESS NOAKES
LORD NEWBY
LORD JENKIN OF RODING |
| 9 | Page 6, line 9, leave out "At the request of the appropriate authority" |
| 10 | Page 6, line 10, leave out "National" |
| | BARONESS NOAKES
LORD NEWBY
LORD JENKIN OF RODING |
| 11 | Page 6, line 10, leave out "National" and insert "Official" |
| 12 | Page 6, line 12, at end insert— |
| "( ) | The Board is to notify the appropriate authority before it commences an assessment under subsection (1)." |
| 13 | Page 6, line 13, leave out subsections (2) and (3) |
| 14 | Page 6, line 36, leave out subsection (8) |
| 15 | Insert the following new Clause— |
| | "Duty to continue to comply with Code |
| (1) | The person producing any official statistics which are designated under section 11 as National Statistics must ensure that the Code of Practice for Statistics under section 10 continues to be complied with in relation to the statistics. |
| (2) | Failure to comply with subsection (1) in relation to any statistics means that the designation of the statistics as National Statistics may not be confirmed |
| 9 | | under section 12 (but no action shall lie in relation to any such failure)." |
| | BARONESS NOAKES
LORD HOWARD OF RISING
[As an amendment to amendment 15] |
| 16* | Line 9, leave out from "12" to end |
| 17 | Page 6, line 41, leave out "National" |
| | BARONESS NOAKES
LORD NEWBY
LORD JENKIN OF RODING |
| 18 | Page 6, line 41, leave out "National" and insert "Official" |
| 19 | Page 6, line 42, leave out "already designated as National Statistics" and insert "assessed" |
| 20 | Page 7, line 1, leave out subsection (2) |
| 21 | Page 7, line 11, leave out subsection (6) |
| 22 | Insert the following new Clause— |
| | "Requests for assessment: supplementary |
| (1) | Where in the case of any official statistics other than statistics produced by the Board— |
| (a) | the appropriate authority has not under section 11(1) requested the Board to assess and determine whether the Code of Practice for Statistics has been complied with, and |
| (b) | the Board is of the view that it would be appropriate for it to do so, |
| | the Board must notify the appropriate authority accordingly. |
| (2) | Where the appropriate authority is a Minister of the Crown, the Board must lay a copy of its notification under subsection (1) before Parliament. |
| (3) | A Minister of the Crown, on receiving notification under subsection (1), must provide the Board with— |
| (a) | a statement that he intends to make a request under section 11(1) in relation to the statistics; or |
| (b) | a statement that he does not intend to make such a request, |
| | and must lay a copy of the statement before Parliament. |
| (4) | A statement under subsection (3)(a) must include a timetable for making the request. |
| (5) | A statement under subsection (3)(b) must give reasons for not making the request. |
| (6) | Where the National Statistician determines not to make a request under section 11(1) in relation to any official statistics produced by the Board, he must— |
| (a) | make a statement that he does not intend to make such a request, giving reasons, and |
| (b) | lay a copy of the statement before Parliament. |
| (7) | In this section "appropriate authority" has the same meaning as in section 11(1)." |
| | BARONESS NOAKES
LORD NEWBY
LORD JENKIN OF RODING |
| 23 | Page 10, line 12, at end insert— |
| "( ) | The report under subsection (1) must contain either— |
| (a) | a statement that the Board considers that the resources available to the Board and any others who produce or publish statistics have been adequate during that year, or |
| (b) | an analysis of the extent to which the Board considers that resources have not been adequate together with the actions that it intends to take." |
| 24 | Insert the following new Clause— |
| (1) | The Board may locate its statistical activities in any place within the United Kingdom which it thinks necessary or expedient for the exercise of its functions. |
| (2) | In choosing a location or locations under subsection (1) the Board must take into account the need to— |
| (a) | recruit and retain suitable skilled and experienced employees; |
| (b) | maintain effective contacts with users of statistics, in particular within central government; and |
| (c) | maintain the influence of official statistics on policy." |
| | BARONESS NOAKES
LORD NEWBY
LORD JENKIN OF RODING |
| 25 | Insert the following new Clause— |
| | "Access to the Prime Minister |
| | The National Statistician shall have right of direct access to the Prime Minister on any matter involving the integrity of official statistics or a dispute with a government department regarding official statistics." |
| | LORD NEWBY
BARONESS NOAKES
LORD JENKIN OF RODING |
| 26 | Page 12, line 23, at end insert— |
| "( ) | The National Statistician shall be the government's principal advisor on statistics and provide professional leadership to all persons engaged in statistical production and publication." |
| 27 | Page 12, line 31, leave out "National" |
| | LORD NEWBY
BARONESS NOAKES
LORD JENKIN OF RODING |
| 28 | Page 12, line 36, leave out paragraph (b) |
| 29 | Page 12, line 37, leave out subsections (5) to (8) |
| 30 | Page 13, line 8, after "section" insert "and section (Executive office)" |
| 31 | Page 13, line 10, leave out subsection (10) |
| 32 | Insert the following new Clause— |
| (1) | The National Statistician must establish an executive office of the Board to assist him in his exercise of— |
| (a) | the function of the Board under section 9(1)(a) (development and maintenance of definitions, methodologies, classifications and standards for official statistics), |
| (b) | the function of the Board under section 17 (production of statistics), |
| (c) | the function of the Board under section 18 (retail prices index), |
| (d) | the function of the Board under section 19 (statistical services), and |
| (e) | any other function of the Board which he may exercise under section 28(2). |
| (2) | The executive office is, subject to this Act, to consist of— |
| (a) | the National Statistician (who is to be its head), |
| (b) | the other executive members of the Board, and |
| (c) | such other employees of the Board as the National Statistician may assign to it. |
| (3) | For the purposes of subsection (1) the National Statistician may delegate any function of the Board referred to in that subsection to any other member of the executive office. |
| (4) | The delegation of a function by the National Statistician under subsection (3) does not prevent him from exercising the function himself." |
| 33 | Page 13, line 19, at end insert— |
| "(3) | The Head of Assessment— |
| (a) | if an executive member of the Board, may not exercise functions of the National Statistician under section 28, |
| (b) | may not be a member of the executive office of the Board under section (Executive office)(2)(b) or (c), and |
| (c) | may not in any other way take part in the production of statistics by the Board." |
| 34 | Page 13, line 24, leave out subsection (2) and insert— |
| "( ) | The following may not take part in any assessment or determination of the Board under section 11(1) or 12(1)— |
| (a) | an executive member of the Board, not being the National Statistician or Head of Assessment; |
| (b) | a person assigned to the executive office of the Board under section (Executive office)(2)(c)." |
| 35 | Page 13, line 31, leave out subsection (4) |
| 36 | Page 14, line 10, leave out "National" |
| | BARONESS NOAKES
LORD NORTHESK |
| 37 | Insert the following new Clause— |
| | "Information Commissioner |
| (1) | The Information Commissioner may assess any aspects of the way in which the Board holds, uses, discloses or shares information. |
| (2) | The Board must provide any assistance or access that the Information Commissioner requests in connection with an assessment under subsection (1). |
| (3) | If the Information Commissioner carries out an assessment under subsection (1) he is to report his findings to the Board. |
| (4) | The Information Commissioner may publish any report he makes under subsection (3) and any such report must be laid before each House of Parliament." |
| 38 | Page 30, line 3, at end insert— |
| "( ) | A statutory instrument containing an order made by a Minister of the Crown under section 21 that includes consequential or incidental provision amending any relevant legislation is subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament." |
| 39 | Page 30, line 14, at end insert— |
| "( ) | A statutory instrument containing an order made by a Welsh ministerial authority under section 21 that includes consequential or incidental provision amending any relevant legislation is subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of the National Assembly for Wales." |
| 40 | Page 30, line 21, at end insert— |
| "( ) | A statutory rule containing an order made by a Northern Ireland department under section 21 that includes consequential or incidental provision amending any relevant legislation is subject to negative resolution, within the meaning of section 41(6) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954. |
| ( ) | In this section, "relevant legislation" means— |
| (a) | an Act of Parliament; |
| (b) | an Act of the Scottish Parliament; |
| (c) | Northern Ireland legislation; |
| (d) | a Measure or Act of the National Assembly for Wales." |
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