The Government has launched a public consultation on the Better Use of Data in Government which includes proposals for the use of data to support better National and official statistics, and statistical research.
National Statistician, John Pullinger, welcomed the proposals, saying:
“If the UK is to succeed in the competitive global marketplace, and if our governments are to make informed choices affecting all our lives, they need the best possible statistics.
"Access to timely and rich existing data sources from the public and private sectors can transform the quality of official statistics, and reduce our dependence on surveys which are costly to administer, and time-consuming and burdensome for respondents.
"The opportunities are huge. The UK has the potential to be a global leader in data science. But we can only be successful if we maintain the trust and confidence of the citizens and businesses that provide their data. It will be necessary to provide reassurance that ONS will keep data safe and secure, and that we will use data for one purpose only: to produce aggregate official statistics and research that support better decision-making for the public good.”
The Statistics Authority has today published a short paper to provide further background and context to the proposals for better access to data for the purposes of producing official statistics.
ENDS
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Note to Editors
The full Cabinet Office consultation “Better Use of Data” can be found on GOV.UK.
Section C (page 30) of the Consultation concerns “allowing use of data for research and official statistics”.