HL Deb 04 May 2001 vol 624 cc131-2WA
Lord Willoughby de Broke

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why the Office for National Statistics now requires monthly rather than quarterly returns from companies in the service sector; and whether this is consistent with the Government's stated aim of reducing the administrative burden on small and medium-sized enterprises. [HL1464]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter to Lord Willoughby de Broke from the National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, Office for National Statistics, Mr Len Cook, dated 5 April 2001.

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on why the Office for National Statistics (ONS) now requires monthly rather than quarterly returns from companies in the service sector and whether this is consistent with the Government's stated aim of reducing the administrative burden on small and medium-sized enterprises. [HL1464]

There is strong demand for users for more frequent and timely information on changes in the output of the service industry, which now represents two-thirds of the economy. To meet this demand, ONS is developing a monthly index of services which requires the collection of monthly data. This index will match the index of industrial production, which is also a monthly indicator.

The ONS is extremely conscious of its responsibility to bear down on the costs to business of complying with its surveys. Minimising the burden on suppliers of data is one of the ONS's five key values. The ONS produces, as part of its Business Plan, an Annual Compliance Plan which charts the compliance costs by inquiry; contains details of compliance reducing initiatives that are either being undertaken, or are in the pipeline; contains the compliance target for the current year and shows the profile of compliance costs over a four-year timescale.

Regular reviews of surveys are carried out to examine whether there is a continuing need for them. An integral part of the review process is to seek respondents' views and to ascertain whether changes to either the forms or sample can be made which reduce the burden on respondents whilst at the same time maintaining the quality of data.