§ LORD BALOGHasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which agency is responsible and what delay is experienced with following statistical series: (1) National Accounts (quarterly); (2) Stocks; (3) Balance of Trade; (4) Balance of payments; (5) Constant Price series; (6) Profits; (7) Savings survey (not the residual estimate); (8) Employment; (9) Wages; (10) Earnings.
§ LORD WINDLESHAM1. The quarterly national accounts are compiled by the Central Statistical Office. The sequence of publication, including individual components where they are available earlier, is as follows:
Approximate time after end of quarter weeks First preliminary estimate of consumers' expenditure 3 Preliminary estimate of gdp based upon output data 6 Provisional estimates of gdp (expenditure, income and output) 11½ Final estimates of gdp and personal sector accounts 14 Complete national accounts article 17½ 2. Quarterly figures of manufacturers' and distributors' stocks are compiled by the Department of Trade and Industry and published in provisional form approximately 9 weeks after the end of the quarter, with revised figures about one month later. Stocks figures for the whole economy are included in the national accounts releases at 11½ weeks and subsequently.
3 and 4. Balance of trade figures are compiled monthly by the Department of Trade and Industry and appear about two weeks after the end of the month to which they refer. Balance of payments figures are compiled by the Central Statistical Office. A partially projected estimate of the current account balance 617WA appears with the monthly balance of trade figures. Complete figures are published quarterly, approximately 9 weeks after the end of the quarter to which they refer.
5. When series are produced in constant and current prices they most often are published together. In the case of the national accounts, constant price series are produced at all the stages of release of the figures.
6. Quarterly estimates of gross trading profits on a national accounts basis are compiled by the Central Statistical Office and first published with the provisional estimates of gross domestic product some 11½ weeks after the end of the quarter.
7. There is no separate savings survey in the United Kingdom. The residual savings figure is first published with the personal sector accounts some 14 weeks after the end of the quarter.
8. The Department of Employment produces monthly figures of employment in the production industries which are published approximately two months after the month to which they relate. In addition, the Department compiles quarterly estimates of total employment, published about seven months after the relevant quarter. The annual census of employment is conducted each June and final results appear about 10 months later.
9. A monthly index of basic wage rates of manual workers is compiled by the Department of Employment and published about three weeks after the month to which it relates.
10. A monthly index of average earnings is compiled by the Department of Employment and published about seven weeks after the relevant month. The principal inquiry into the average levels of earnings throughout the economy is the New Earnings Survey, which is taken in April of each year and the first results from which appear about six months later.
The Central Statistical Office issues in the middle of each month a notice listing the expected release dates of all major series of economic statistics, which specifies the period to which the figures relate and the issuing Department. This is reproduced in both Economic Trends and Trade and Industry.