§ Dr. CableTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the(a) names of, (b) positions of and (c) length of pre-release access for Office for National Statistics staff, excluding those who have pre-release access to the retail sales first release and the associated briefing under the (i) pre-release access arrangements and (ii) Macro-Economic Statistic Service Level Agreement. [143374]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Vincent Cable, dated 23 December 2003.
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the list of (a) names, (b) positions and (c) length of pre-release access for Office of National Statistics (ONS) staff, excluding those who have pre-release access to the retail sales first release and the associated briefing under the (i) pre-release access arrangements and (ii) Macro-Economic Statistic Service Level Agreement. (143374)4WPre-release access to official statistics is tightly controlled and, in the normal course of events, restricted to those who are involved in the statistical production and dissemination process. A number of staff in the ONS will, in the course of their duties, have access to the results before their public release—be they collectors, compilers, IT staff, reprographics staff, publication staff, or myself and my senior colleagues. To compile the names, positions, and length of pre-release access for all these staff, and for each release, would incur disproportionate cost.Access has not been provided to persons in the ONS outside the list above, except where explicitly provided for in the National Statistics code of practice, and the protocol for release of statistics.