Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Deferred
Paragraph: 65
Use OSR data gap reports to inform Treasury funding decisions for public evidence.
Recommendation
We recommend that in its conduct of future Spending Reviews, HM Treasury uses the findings from these reports to inform the decisions it takes on the funding of activity relating to the collection, analysis and communication of public evidence.
Government Response Summary
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) is exploring ways to provide Intelligent Transparency materials online, developing new social media guidance, and refreshing the Code to articulate IT standards more clearly. It states it already encourages transparency around policy announcements but does not commit HM Treasury to using report findings in future Spending Reviews.
Paragraph Reference:
65
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
51. OSR accepts the recommendation that government communications professionals should receive training on IT and would be happy to work in partnership with the Cabinet Office to achieve this. 52. Since the creation of the IT principles, OSR has continued to promote them across government, working with a range of organisations and professions, including the communications profession. We are very encouraged by the response and engagement from departments to date, and the commitment to supporting public confidence in government statistics and data through transparency. Our ambition is to continue to take these principles to new audiences, including ministerial private offices and Special Advisors. 53. We are also exploring ways to provide our IT materials on our website following feedback from sessions we have delivered previously. This includes developing new guidance on adhering to IT principles on social media. 54. As part of our work refreshing the Code, we are looking to articulate our standards relating to IT more clearly and better highlight how they relate to all those in government involved in communicating statistics, data and wider analysis. 55. Relatedly, we wish to express our support for recommendation 14 of the Committee’s report, that future governments should publish the evidence and data underpinning their major policy announcements. We already encourage IT around policy announcements and government decision making and will continue to do so. Our latest report on Analytical Leadership explores our position on this in more detail.24 Additionally, I included this issue in my letter to Permanent Secretaries at the start of this year’s general election campaign.25 Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation Office for Statistics Regulation September 2024 24 https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/analytical-leadership-achieving-better- outcomes-for-citizens/ 25 https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence/ed-humpherson-to-permanent- secretaries-transparency-and-analytical-leadership/ 22