Consultation outcome

Proposal to cease publication of the abstract of statistics – our response following user engagement

Published 19 December 2019

Background to the Publication

The abstract of statistics is an annual publication produced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The purpose of the publication and supporting data tables is to provide a reference source for people interested in benefit uprating and the value of benefits compared to prices and earnings. Not all DWP benefits are covered by the publication, which focuses on income.

All of the statistics within the abstract are derived from data publicly and freely available online from Office for National Statistics (ONS) and GOV.UK.

Proposal to cease publication

In the 2018 edition, published on 26 March 2019, DWP announced that it would like to stop publishing the abstract of statistics:

1. DWP web usage statistics showed us that this publication has very low user viewing hits when compared with other National and Official Statistics publications
2. all of the data contained within the publication are available via other sources
3. DWP resources can be put to better use on the development of more high priority statistics

We refreshed our user feedback questionnaire to gain user insights and feedback specifically in relation to the proposal to cease publication. We also engaged with potential users through the ONS StatUserNet.

The consultation closed on 30 June 2019.

Options

There were several possible choices going forward such as:

a. cease the publication including the supporting tables, with documentation to allow others to produce annual updates
b. reduce the scope of the publication including its supporting tables
c. retaining the publication in its current form

Summary of feedback received

Many thanks to those who took the time and effort to respond.

The feedback we received came from a variety of different sources: external customers, other government departments and from within DWP itself:

• it is regarded as authoritative and includes a statement of quality through its National Statistics badging
• it is accepted as a trusted source, that compiles quite a complex range of measures in an accessible way
• some users indicated that while they may be able to manage without it, there was an efficiency in their work gained by having the material contained in the abstract published in its current format
• lack of awareness of the publication until the consultation also arose. Some users suggested a change of publication title

In terms of content:

• it was said to provide a historical series in current prices that is unavailable elsewhere
• it removes the need to visit several different sources and stops the selection of the wrong metrics
• it was used to provide further checks on other information

Department for Work and Pensions decision

DWP has decided, in light of the feedback received, that the abstract of statistics should continue in its current format. We will:

• for future releases, change the name of the publication to ‘Abstract of DWP benefit rate statistics’
• improve awareness of the publication through, for instance, use of HTML for the summary, and clearer signposting on GOV.UK
• consider ways of making the publication more relevant to users through continued engagement such as through the ONS StatUserNet and other users

We would like to encourage users to continue to provide feedback on the publication and we are really interested in proposals on how we can improve it.