§ Virginia BottomleyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rules and guidelines cover the recent modifications to the Office of National Statistics report on emissions and the information added on the website relating to aviation and road freight emissions. [177267]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Virginia Bottomley, dated 8 June 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question on modifications to the ONS Environmental Accounts report. (177267)
The information on greenhouse gas emissions from transport were not removed from the ONS Environmental Accounts report published on 20 May 2004. The report was never altered from the version originally prepared by professional statisticians within ONS, and is publicly available on the National Statistics website.
The focus of the accompanying News Release changed during drafting, as there were some unresolved statistical concerns over the reconciliation of road freight emissions figures using alternative definitions. Given these concerns, it was decided that it would not be appropriate for the News Release to focus upon transport emissions as had been intended. This decision was taken independently by senior Government statisticians, as a matter of professional judgement.
The circumstances surrounding this decision are explained in a letter that I sent to David Rowlands (Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport) on 28 May. This letter is available on the website of the Statistics Commission at: http:// www.statscom. org.uk/media_pdfs/correspondence/letter0189.pdf
The ONS operates in accordance with the "Framework for National Statistics" and follows the principles and procedures set out in the "National Statistics Code of Practice" and its supporting "Protocols". One of the key principles within the "Code of Practice" states that National Statistics will be "fit for purpose and of high quality". Our concerns about the reconciliation of the emissions data led us to make the professional judgement that these measures, while of publishable quality, were not fit for the purpose of being the focus of a high-profile news release.
"The Framework for National Statistics" also states that National Statistics must "be produced and presented without political interference". The Environmental Accounts report was produced and released fully in accordance with this principle.