§ Mr. LoveTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what further action is being taken to improve the accuracy and reliability of Labour Market Statistics; and if he will make a statement; [38370]
(2) what plans he has to increase the frequency and coverage of the Labour Force Survey; and if he will make a statement. [38369]
§ Mrs. LiddellThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Andrew Love, dated 8 April 1998:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary questions on the accuracy and reliability of labour market statistics and the Labour Force Survey in particular.On 3 February, I announced major improvements to labour market statistics. As part of the package of proposals, I announced that greater prominence than previously would be given to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and to the integration of these results with data from other sources.From April 22nd 1998 data from the LFS for the latest 3 months will be published every month. Coverage of the LFS results will be extended to the UK. The case for a larger LFS capable of providing reliable estimates for each single month is being considered in the Comprehensive Spending Review.251WThese improvements to the way ONS publishes its labour market statistics are being supported by a great deal of work in improving the methods of data collection, getting more out of the data, and reconciling the different sources. In parallel with improvements in other ONS surveys, methodological improvements in the LFS will be put in place. More information about these improvements is available in the February 1998 edition of Labour Market Trends, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.