Media relation services

You asked

Regarding The Office for National Statistics (ONS) placing employees within media outlets, such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, please disclose for each of the past five years:

1. the total cost to the ONS

2. whether any cost was born by the media organisations

3. the total number of employees placed

4. the names of the media organisations and how many employees were sent to each outlet

5. how each media organisation was selected

6. the terms of the placement, including managing impartiality rules and conflicts of interest

We said

Thank you for your enquiry.

Informing the public on economic and social matters is central to the ONS's statutory mission. During the last few election campaigns we've been pleased to lend our impartial expertise to some of the main free-to-air public service broadcasters. We believe this has helped audiences to benefit from more accurate coverage and helped to build trust in official statistics and other reliable data.

Here are the responses to your queries:

1. The only cost wholly attributable to these attachments was £4672 in travel and subsistence expenses provided to staff attending sites some distance from their home bases.

2. These attachments were provided as part of the media relations service we provide and we do not charge for this service.

3. 2019 – 5 employees; 2017 – 3 employees; 2015 – 1 employee.

4. BBC - 5 employees; ITV - 2 employees; Channel Four News - 2 employees.

5. The offer was confined to independently-regulated media organisations providing a free-to-air public broadcasting service. The number of our staff placed in each organisation was designed to be broadly proportionate to their relative audience reach.

6. The terms of agreement between us and the media organisations are given below:

• The ONS representatives remain employed as civil servants and are bound by their obligations under the Civil Service Code and 'purdah' restrictions.

• Their services are provided solely to advise and assist journalists and producers with the sourcing, presentation and interpretation of statistics and data and for no other purpose.

• Their professional opinion is provided in confidence and should not be used publicly to validate or impugn any claims or assertions made by candidates, political parties or any other person during the period of attachment.

• The ONS reserves the right to withdraw their services for any reason and without notice.