Guidance

Ministry of Defence: statement of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics

Updated 30 January 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-statistics-policies/ministry-of-defence-statement-of-compliance-with-the-code-of-practice-for-statistics

Introduction

This statement of compliance sets out how the MOD implements the Code of Practice for Statistics and its associated protocols, and the exemptions it has been granted by the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA).

The MOD produces Accredited Official Statistics on a wide range of defence-related topics, including defence spending, military and civilian personnel numbers, the health of the armed forces, veterans, equipment, and surveys of the armed forces.

All Accredited Official Statistics produced by the MOD are published on the ‘statistics’ area of GOV.UK.

General statement of compliance

All Accredited Official Statistics are produced in accordance with the principles set out in the Code of Practice and its supporting protocols, subject to any exceptions noted in this compliance statement.

In addition, all MOD Accredited Official Statistics are produced and published in accordance with the following statements and policies, each of which forms an integral part of this compliance statement:

  • Confidentiality Policy
  • Revisions and Corrections Policy
  • User Engagement Policy
  • statement of compliance with the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008
  • Quality Guidelines
  • Customer Complaints Policy

These statements and policies can be accessed via GOV.UK.

Exemptions

Principle T3.7 of the Code of Practice states that statistical reports should include ‘the name and contact details of the lead statistician or analysts responsible for production’.

The UKSA has granted an exemption to the MOD in that it is not required to name the responsible statistician for each publication due to security reasons. Instead, the Authority has stated that in these specific circumstances, it is acceptable to provide their role title and contact details.

Role of Head of Profession and responsible statisticians

The Head of Profession for Statistics has direct responsibility for the implementation of legislation including decisions on the content, format, pre-release access and timing of MOD Accredited Official Statistics outputs.

It is the responsibility of responsible statisticians, and all others involved in the production and release of National and Official Statistics, to follow the correct procedures and alert the Head of Profession to any difficulties.

Reporting of non-compliance

All reportable occurrences of non-compliance of Accredited Official Statistics with respect to the Code of Practice will be reported by the Head of Profession to the National Statistician, and a Breach Report published to the UKSA website.

Owner: Director for Analysis

Author: Analysis Directorate

Issue Date: August 2020

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