The government published a 'location strategy' aimed at maximizing the value to the public, government, business, and industry of geographic information. It said that too few government-owned datasets that incorporate location could be easily assembled and analyzed with reliability from across local and central government bodies. There remained too much duplication, too little reuse, and too few linkages across datasets required to support policy implementation in, for example, planning, housing, flooding, social exclusion, and traffic management.
Source: Place Matters: The Location Strategy for the United Kingdom, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Strategy | Hansard | AGI press release | LGA press release
Date: 2008-Nov
A think-tank report said that the information gathered through the ten-yearly Census would be out of date by the time it was published, would be insufficiently detailed, and could underestimate the number of people living in Britain. The Census results could not accurately reflect the true state of Britain because of poor-quality information on households, high rates of population mobility, and a growing reluctance to fill in official forms. The 2011 Census should be scrapped, and the money saved spent on cheaper 'mini-censuses'.
Source: Nigel Keohane, Local Counts: The future of the census, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: Report | NLGN press release | BBC report | Telegraph report
Date: 2008-Aug
The Office for National Statistics published its annual report for 2007-08.
Source: Annual Report 2007/08, Cm 7435, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Jul
The official statistics authority began consultation on a new code of practice for official statistics.
Source: Official Statistics Serving the Public Good: Consultation on the code of practice, UK Statistics Authority (0845 604 1857)
Links: Consultation document | UKSA press release
Date: 2008-Jul
An article set out the key characteristics of the new arrangements that would be needed if public confidence in official statistics outputs were to be strengthened. This would depend on public confidence in the statistical system as a whole, rather than just the new Board.
Source: Tim Holt, 'Official statistics, public policy and public trust', Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A, Volume 171 Issue 2
Links: Article
Date: 2008-Apr
The statistics watchdog examined the content of official statistical releases, and the practices and arrangements under which they were issued. The releases had improved in terms of being objective and professional, and there was 'little to suggest spin or undue political influence'.
Source: Releasing Official Statistics: A review of statistical first releases, Report 39, Statistics Commission (020 7273 8008)
Links: Report | StatComm press release | FT report
Date: 2008-Mar
The statistics watchdog (due to be abolished on 31 March 2008) published a review of its activities during the period 2000-2008.
Source: A Candid Friend: Reflections on the Statistics Commission 2000-2008, Report 39, Statistics Commission (020 7273 8008)
Links: Report | StatComm press release
Date: 2008-Mar
An article described a project to link the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) and the 2001 Census. It looked at the feasibility of linking the two data sets using a sample of the Census data. Linking the data would enhance the ASHE data set by adding the personal characteristics of individuals. The results showed that there was the potential to link the two data sets, although further work would be needed using the whole Census data set to ensure the matched data was not biased.
Source: Jamie Jenkins, 'Linking the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings to the Census: a feasibility study', Economic & Labour Market Review, February 2008, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Date: 2008-Feb
The Office for National Statistics reportedly decided to drop a question about incomes from the Census planned for 2011, after concluding that people would find the question too intrusive and would not answer it truthfully.
Source: The Daily Telegraph, 14 January 2008
Links: Telegraph report
Date: 2008-Jan
A report by the statistics watchdog examined how the value of official statistics could be maximized, and how public confidence in official statistics could be strengthened.
Source: Official Statistics: Value and Trust, Report 38, Statistics Commission (020 7273 8008)
Date: 2008-Jan