Obligations under the Code of Practice for Official Statistics

You asked

I would like to request information with regards to the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, the Office for Statistics Regulation and purdah.

1. Are Members of Parliament obliged to follow the Code of Practice for Official Statistics?

2. Would you expect Members of Parliament to feel an obligation to abide by the Code of Practice for Official Statistics?

3. What action, if any, did the Office for Statistics Regulation take to alert the public of misuse of official statistics during the Brexit referendum debates. This question applies to during, before and after purdah.

We said

Thank you for your request. Taking each of your questions in turn,

1. Are Members of Parliament obliged to follow the Code of Practice for Official Statistics?

   Members of Parliament are not obliged to follow the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

2. Would you expect Members of Parliament to feel an obligation to abide by the Code of Practice for Official Statistics?

   The Code of Practice for Official Statistics reflects best practice in the production and dissemination of official statistics.

   Official statistics are defined under Section 6 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 as all those statistical outputs produced by the UK Statistics Authority’s executive office (the Office for National Statistics), by central Government departments and agencies, by the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and by other Crown bodies (over 200 bodies in total).

   We would hope that Members of Parliament would be guided by the Code of Practice, however there is no legal obligation.

3. What action, if any, did the Office for Statistics Regulation take to alert the public of misuse of official statistics during the Brexit referendum debates? This question applies to during, before and after purdah.

   The Office for Statistics Regulation is the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority. During the EU referendum campaign, Sir Andrew Dilnot, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, issued a series of public letters in response to the use of official statistics. A list of letters published is as follows:

   Letter from Sir Andrew Dilnot to Peter Lilley MP 100616

   Letter from Sir Andrew Dilnot to Jack Doyle 270516

   Letter from Sir Andrew Dilnot to Mr Dominic Cummings 100516

   Letter from Sir Andrew Dilnot to Bernard Jenkin MP 280416

   Letter from Sir Andrew Dilnot to Norman Lamb MP 210416

   Letter from Ed Humpherson to Bernard Jenkin MP 190416

   Letter from Sir Andrew Dilnot to Bernard Jenkin MP 240316

   Letter from Sir Andrew Dilnot to Will Moy 101215

If you require additional information or wish to discuss anything further, it may be possible to arrange a meeting with one of the Office for Statistics Regulation team, after the pre-election purdah restrictions have ended.