Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Paragraph: 44
Statistics quoted by Ministers have not always been underpinned by published data, which goes against...
Conclusion
Statistics quoted by Ministers have not always been underpinned by published data, which goes against the UKSA Code of Practice. Publishing the underlying data is key to transparency and building trust. When the underlying data is not published, numbers may be used to make politicised points and members of the public, journalists and Parliamentarians have no way of verifying the information shared. This means constructive debate cannot happen.
Paragraph Reference:
44
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
The Government agrees that statistics should be used in a way that builds confidence and upholds the three pillars of the Code of Practice - trustworthiness, quality and value. Ministers and their departments are subject to the Code of Practice in respect of National Statistics, as required by the Statistics and Registration Act 2007. The Ministerial Code states that Ministers should be mindful of the good practice in relation to all official statistics, including those not covered by the statutory requirements of the legislation. There will be occasions where it is in the public interest to utilise emerging information, such as to provide a more accurate and up to date response to Parliament. As such, the Government does not agree that a change is necessary to the Ministerial Code.