18 April 2023 - Growth and productivity: statistical methodology - Oral evidence

Methodology & UK Economic Performance

On Tuesday 18 April, the Economic Affairs Committee will hold a one-off oral evidence session on growth and productivity: statistical methodology.

At 3pm, the Committee will hear from:

• Mike Keoghan, Deputy National Statistician and Director General, Economic, Social and Environmental Statistics, Office for National Statistics
• Grant Fitzner, Chief Economist, Office for National Statistics

Topics the committee is likely to cover in this session:

• An assessment of the methodology applied to the public sector’s contribution to national output during the COVID-19 pandemic;
• A discussion on quality improvements in public sector output estimates;
• Exploring the outcome of any discussion between the ONS and the Government on the issue of statistical methodological divergences;
• The progress in the international convergence of statistical methodologies;
• International comparisons in productivity figures amongst the G7 countries; and
• Challenges the digital era poses the ONS on the collation of data and estimates of activity.