Independent report

Press notice: Charles Bean kicks off review to future-proof UK statistics

Updated 11 March 2016

An independent review into the production of UK economic statistics, led by Professor Sir Charles Bean, has begun today (5 August 2015) with a call for evidence from all interested parties.

The review was announced by the government last month with the support of the independent UK Statistics Authority. It will provide recommendations on how to address future challenges to the measurement and production of economic statistics whilst continuing to ensure they are independent, high quality, accurate and timely.

The whole range of economic statistics from the national accounts through labour market statistics to family expenditure data will be considered as part of the review. All users of economic statistics are invited to respond to the call for evidence by 25 September. This review will build on the findings of previous studies into UK statistics, for example the recent reviews led by Dame Kate Barker and Paul Johnson.

Commenting on the review, Charles Bean said:

Economic statistics affect us all, informing the policy decisions of the government and Bank of England, affecting pay and pension increases, and framing the investment decisions of companies.

The UK has a long history of producing credible and high-quality statistics, but we cannot afford to be complacent. My review will seek to ensure that the UK’s economic statistics, together with the processes for their production, are future-proofed and suited to the challenges posed by a dynamic economy.

This review will assess if the UK’s future statistical outputs are best placed to remain:

• Appropriate. In a fast-changing and modern digital economy it is important statistics continue to be relevant and an accurate reflection of its constituent parts, for instance capturing the benefits of technological change through quality improvements to broader issues related to the provision of more granular information.

• Robust. In order to maintain the quality of statistics, authorities need to keep pace with the latest developments and advances in data collection, analysis and dissemination. This could, for example, see greater online data collection and use of ‘big data’ techniques to enable richer and faster analysis.

• Credible. Within the established principle of independently produced statistics, the review will consider what governance arrangements are most appropriate to support the production of world-class economic statistics. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the independent body charged with delivering key economic statistics in the UK. Although other public bodies produce statistics in the UK the review will principally focus on the ONS, as the primary source of economics statistics.

Further information

Professor Sir Charles Bean’s independent review into UK economic statistics was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the government’s productivity plan, Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, published on 10 July 2015.

The review is independent of government and Professor Bean will be supported by a small secretariat drawn from the Bank of England, the UK Statistics Authority and HM Treasury.

The review will make interim recommendations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Minister for the Cabinet Office in autumn 2015, with a final report published by Budget 2016.

Non-media enquiries should be addressed to the review secretariat by e-mail to ukeconomicstatsreview@outlook.com.

Media enquiries should be addressed to Nayeem Khan on 020 7270 1714 / 07824 869 040.