UKSA Chair and interim National Statistician to appear in front of PACAC following ONS review
Next Tuesday, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee will hold the first session of its inquiry into the work of the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA).
The UKSA is responsible for “promoting and safeguarding” the UK’s official statistics, and oversees two executive offices: the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). MPs will question the Chair of the UKSA, Sir Robert Chote, as well as the acting National Statistician, Emma Rourke, and the OSR’s Director General, Ed Humpherson.
Over the course of the last two years, the reliability of data produced by the ONS has been questioned by many sources. In the session, the Committee are likely to cover the findings of Sir Robert Devereux’s review into culture and performance, including how the organisation intends to learn from his findings.
Meeting details
MPs are aiming to understand how the UKSA will ensure official figures are resilient and credible, and how the UKSA will ensure the issues identified from the review are addressed, such as the allocation of funds.
The Committee is likely to ask about the workings of the ONS’s leadership team, the state of its major programmes, and the future of the role of the National Statistician following Professor Sir Ian Diamond’s recent departure. Among other issues, MPs are also likely to ask witnesses how concerns around the ONS’ workforce and culture will be addressed.