Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Accepted
Paragraph: 80
Mandate National Statistician to review analysis function scope and publish evaluation plans.
Recommendation
In parallel, the National Statistician should review the analysis function’s scope and standard, with a view to defining an achievable set of next-steps, and clear plans for honest evaluations of the function’s success. This review and subsequent evaluations 42 Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base should be made publicly available, so that Parliament is in future better equipped to scrutinise both the Government’s use of evidence and the progress of the analysis function.
Government Response Summary
The ONS accepts the recommendation for the AFCT to review the Analysis Function's scope and standard, reflecting findings in an updated strategy by Q2 2025/26. Subject to funding, the AFCT will also evaluate the impact of their work, providing updates to the Committee via a letter from the National Statistician.
Paragraph Reference:
80
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The ONS accepts the Committee’s recommendation to review the AF’s scope and standard with achievable next steps in mind and will take the points raised away for further consideration. Subject to gaining sufficient funding for the AFCT, the team will review the scope of the AF, which will be reflected in the updated AF Strategy for 2025–2028. The team will also review the AF standard, focusing on any changes needed to reflect the importance of transparency in analysis. With regards to the evaluation of the AF, subject to funding, the AFCT will evaluate the impact of their work to support analysts across government. It will also undertake a light touch assessment of the impact of analysis more widely, using existing evidence sources, such as the results of the assessment against the AF Standard. This will be complemented by the work of departmental Chief Analysts who are responsible for evaluating the impact of their analysis and whether it is meeting the needs of their decision makers. The AFCT will update the Committee on the findings of this evaluation, via a letter from the National Statistician to the Chair. The AFCT anticipate that this work will be completed by Q2 2025/26. However, further reviews of the standard, and evaluation of the work of the Central Team, will be undertaken as part of our business as usual.