§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what consultations he has had with trades unions representing the staff of the Office for National Statistics regarding the current review of that department; [69679]
(2) what plans his Department has to privatise the work of the Office for National Statistics. [69849]
§ Ms LawrenceTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in reviewing the way the Office for National Statistics delivers its outputs in order to ensure that it makes the best use of the resources available. [71996]
§ Ms HewittI am today releasing the findings of a review of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
636WThis has concluded that there is scope within ONS to achieve efficiency savings rising to around £20 million per year. The review has been guided by a Steering Group under the Chairmanship of Peter Ellwood, Group Chief Executive of Lloyds TSB, and draws on work carried out by the consultants KPMG.
ONS has achieved significant efficiency savings since its creation three years ago. The review identified ways of building on its forward efficiency plans through further streamlining of activities within ONS and the development of closer working arrangements with appropriate private sector organisations. The proposed changes would allow ONS to focus professional resources and management attention where they can add most value.
These findings will be made available to staff in the ONS. I will invite the trade unions to give me their reactions to the findings before making any decisions on the way forward.