Statistics and Registration Service Bill

House of Lords

Session 2006 - 07
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

Statistics and Registration Service Bill

Statistics and Registration Service Bill
Part 1 — The Statistics Board
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Reports
(1)
As soon as possible after the end of each financial year the Board must produce
a report on—
(a)
what it has done during that year,
(b)
what it has found during that year, and
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(c)
what it intends to do during the next financial year.
(2)
The Board must lay a report under subsection (1) before—
(a)
Parliament,
(b)
the Scottish Parliament,
(c)
the National Assembly for Wales, and
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(d)
the Northern Ireland Assembly.
(3)
The Board may at any time produce a report about any matter relating to the
exercise of its functions.
(4)
The Board must lay a report under subsection (3) before one or more of the
following—
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(a)
Parliament;
(b)
the Scottish Parliament;
(c)
the National Assembly for Wales;
(d)
the Northern Ireland Assembly.
(5)
Where the Board lays a report under this section it must publish it as soon as
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possible thereafter.
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Efficiency etc
(1)
The Board must exercise its functions efficiently and cost-effectively.
(2)
The Board must seek to minimise the burdens (including financial burdens) it
imposes on other persons.
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Directions
(1)
If the Prime Minister considers that there has been a serious failure by the
Board—
(a)
to comply with its objective, or
(b)
to perform any of its functions,
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he may give the Board such directions as he considers appropriate to remedy
the failure.
(2)
If the Scottish Ministers consider that there has been a serious failure by the
Board—
(a)
to comply with its objective, or
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(b)
to perform any of its functions so far as relating to Scottish devolved
statistics,

they may, with the consent of the Prime Minister, give the Board such
directions as they consider appropriate to remedy the failure.
(3)
If the Welsh Ministers consider that there has been a serious failure by the
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Board—
(a)
to comply with its objective, or

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(b)
to perform any of its functions so far as relating to Welsh devolved
statistics,

they may, with the consent of the Prime Minister, give the Board such
directions as they consider appropriate to remedy the failure.
(4)
If the Department of Finance and Personnel for Northern Ireland considers that
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there has been a serious failure by the Board—
(a)
to comply with its objective, or
(b)
to perform any of its functions so far as relating to Northern Ireland
devolved statistics,

it may, with the consent of the Prime Minister, give the Board such directions
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as it considers appropriate to remedy the failure.
(5)
The Prime Minister may give the Board such directions as he considers
appropriate for the purpose of implementing any Community obligation.
(6)
A direction under this section must be in writing.
(7)
A direction under this section must be published by the authority which gave
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it in such manner as that authority considers appropriate for the purpose of
bringing it to the attention of persons likely to be affected by it.
(8)
Where the Prime Minister 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
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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.
(9)
Where the Scottish Ministers give a direction under this section—
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(a)
they must lay a copy before the Scottish Parliament, and
(b)
the Prime Minister must lay a copy before Parliament.
(10)
Where the Welsh Ministers give a direction under this section—
(a)
they must lay a copy before the National Assembly for Wales, and
(b)
the Prime Minister must lay a copy before Parliament.
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(11)
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 Prime Minister must lay a copy before Parliament.
(12)
If the Board fails to comply with any direction given to it under this section, the
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authority which gave the direction may give effect to it, and for that purpose
may exercise any function of the Board.
(13)
But the Scottish Ministers, the Welsh Ministers and the Department of Finance
and Personnel for Northern Ireland may only give effect to a direction under
subsection (12) with the consent of the Prime Minister.
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Organisation and administration
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National Statistician: advisory functions
(1)
The National Statistician is to be the Board’s principal adviser on—

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Part 1 — The Statistics Board
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(a)
the quality of official statistics,
(b)
good practice in relation to official statistics, and
(c)
the comprehensiveness of official statistics.
(2)
The Board must have regard to the advice of the National Statistician on those
matters.
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(3)
If the Board rejects the advice of the National Statistician—
(a)
in relation to the development and maintenance of definitions,
methodologies, classifications and standards for official statistics, or
(b)
as to the application to any statistics produced by the Board of any
definition, methodology, classification or standard promoted by the
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Board under section 9,

the Board must publish a statement of its reasons for doing so.
(4)
Where the Board publishes a statement under subsection (3), it must as soon as
possible thereafter lay a copy before Parliament.
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National Statistician: executive functions
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(1)
The National Statistician is also to be the chief executive of the Board.
(2)
The National Statistician may, subject as follows, exercise any of the functions
of the Board (including functions of establishing committees under section 34
and delegating functions to such committees).
(3)
The National Statistician may not exercise the functions of—
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(a)
determining under section 10 whether to adopt a code as the Code of
Practice for Statistics or to revise the Code, or
(b)
determining under section 11(1) or 13(1) whether any official statistics
comply with the Code.
(4)
The Board may direct the National Statistician—
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(a)
not to exercise a particular function, or
(b)
as to how he should exercise a particular function.
(5)
In the event of a vacancy in the office of National Statistician, his functions
under this section and section 31 may be exercised by such one of the other
executive members of the Board as the Board may direct.
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Executive office
(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
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standards for official statistics),
(b)
the function of the Board under section 19 (production of statistics),
(c)
the function of the Board under section 20 (retail prices index),
(d)
the function of the Board under section 21 (statistical services), and
(e)
any other function of the Board which he may exercise under section
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30(2).
(2)
The executive office is, subject to this Act, to consist of—
(a)
the National Statistician (who is to be its head),

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(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
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executive office.
(4)
The delegation of a function by the National Statistician under subsection (3)
does not prevent him from exercising the function himself.
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Head of Assessment
(1)
The Head of Assessment is to be the Board’s principal adviser on the exercise
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of its functions under sections 11(1) and 13(1).
(2)
The Board must have regard to the advice of the Head of Assessment in the
exercise of those functions.
(3)
The Head of Assessment—
(a)
if an executive member of the Board, may not exercise functions of the
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National Statistician under section 30,
(b)
may not be a member of the executive office of the Board under section
31(2)(b) or (c), and
(c)
may not in any other way take part in the production of statistics by the
Board.
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Separation of functions
(1)
The National Statistician may not take part in any assessment or determination
of the Board under section 11(1) or 13(1) in relation to statistics produced by the
Board.
(2)
The following may not take part in any assessment or determination of the
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Board under section 11(1) or 13(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
31(2)(c).
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(3)
The Board must seek to secure that, so far as practicable, employees who take
part in the production of statistics should not be engaged in advising the Board
on the exercise of its functions under sections 11(1) and 13(1) in relation to
those statistics.
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Committees
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(1)
The Board may establish committees for the purpose of—
(a)
exercising functions of the Board, or
(b)
giving advice to the Board.
(2)
A committee of the Board established under subsection (1)(b) may include
persons who are neither members nor employees of the Board.
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(3)
A committee established under this section may establish one or more sub-
committees.