§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how frequently, after what delays, and with what precision he publishes information on changes in(a) inflation, (b) unemployment, (c) benefit claimants, (d) the balance of trade, (e) the numbers taking up smoking and (f) the numbers involved in conceptions that are terminated legally and deliberately. [29674]
§ 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.
529WLetter from Tim Holt to Mr. Peter Bottomley, dated 17 February 1998:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent question on frequency, delay and precision in publishing various information.The requested information is given in the attached table.
Frequency Delays Precision Inflation M Month One decimal place Unemployment (LFS) Q1 6 weeks Nearest 10005 Benefit claimants (Claimant count) M 5 weeks Nearest 100 Balance of Trade M Within 8 weeks3 Nearest £ million Taking up smoking N/A2 N/A N/A Conceptions terminated Q and A 5 months and 6 months4 100% count 1 From April 1997 the LFS will be published monthly. 2 Only adult and children prevalence figures are published. 3 Published within eight weeks of the end of the reporting period for trade with EU member states, and within four weeks of the end of the reporting period for trade with other countries. 4 From 1997. Prior to 1997 the delay was nine months and 7–24 months respectively. 5 Estimates of less than 10,000 are not published. This is because the data are not robust.