Declares that the Petitioners believe that Mr Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has used incorrect facts and statistics relating to the Disability Living Allowance; and further declares that an online petition demanding that the Work and Pensions Select Committee holds Mr Duncan Smith to account for his use of statistics has gathered more than 105,000 signatures.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Work and Pensions Select Committee to question Mr Duncan Smith at their earliest convenience to hold him to account for his use of statistics and further requests that the House requires Mr Duncan Smith to retract any incorrect statistics that may have been circulated in the public domain by his Department.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Liz Kendall, Official Report, 19 November 2013; Vol. 570, c. 20P.]
[P001296]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions:
The comments in the Petition from Residents of the UK dated 19/11/13 have been noted. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes great care to ensure that the statistics it releases into the public domain are accurate and this is underpinned by robust procedures for assurance.
DWP has strict guidelines and procedures in place around the publishing of statistics. All statistical releases must comply with the Code of Practice as governed by the UK Statistics Authority.
A Work and Pensions Select Committee took place on 9 December 2013 during which the Secretary of State answered questions specifically relating to DWP statistics and his own use of those statistics. This followed a Work and Pensions Select Committee Hearing on 10 July 2013 at which DWP’s Director of Communications and the Head of Profession for Statistics gave evidence, both regarding the release of statistics and the measures in place to ensure these are accurate and complete. Both hearings were part of routine Parliamentary procedures by which the Department and its Ministers are held to account. The minutes are published by Parliament: http://www. parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/ commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/publications/.
DWP has made around 500 statistical releases available since 2010. In that time, DWP Ministers have received just two letters from the UK Statistics Authority, raising concerns from them about the Department’s use of a particular statistic—although neither of these related to Disability Living Allowance.
Almost all of DWP’s main statistical series have been accredited by the UKSA Statistics Authority as complying with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The few that remain are currently awaiting assessment. This shows that the controls in place for the release of statistics are effective in ensuring statistics released are accurate and comply with the Code of Practice.