§ Lord Glenarthurasked Her Majesty's Government:
How the Central Statistical Office performed against its key targets for 1991–92 and what are the CSO's key targets for 1992–93.
The Minister of State, Department of Transport (The Earl of Caithness)The Central Statistical Office's performance against its key targets for 1991–92 is described in the agency's annual report, which is published today. All the CSO's statistics were published on their pre-announced release dates. Nine of the CSO's 11 targets relating to revisions were achieved, as were eight of the nine targets on coherence: there was a high rate of achievement on the targets for response rates; and the agency achieved its targets for running costs and efficiency improvements, though not that for receipts from sales.
The steps taken by the Government since 1989, including the establishment of the enlarged CSO as a separate department, the package of measures announced in May 1990 and the move to Executive Agency status last November, have all contributed substantially to a significant improvement in the quality of economic statistics. I applaud the efforts CSO staff have made to achieve this.
The CSO's key targets for 1992–93 are also published today as part of the CSO's Strategic Plan for the 1992–95 period. Copies of both the Annual Report and Strategic Plan are being placed in the Library of the House. As in the previous year these targets cover the timeliness of published statistics: the size of revisions; the coherence of GDP and other key economic statistics; the response rates for CSO statistical inquiries; action to minimise compliance costs for business; response times to public requests for information; and the CSO's running costs, efficiency improvements and receipts.
Following the further package of measures to improve the quality of economic statistics announced in November 1991, some of the key targets for 1992–93 have been tightened. I expect the initiatives to improve economic statistics to continue to bear fruit.