Office for National Statistics
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Baroness Bousted(4 days, 20 hours ago)
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Baroness Bousted
To ask His Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to support the improvement of the data produced by the Office for National Statistics.
Baroness in Waiting/Government Whip (Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent) (Lab)
My Lords, access to trustworthy, accurate and timely statistics lies at the heart of a thriving democracy. In June the Government published the Devereux review on the performance and culture of the Office for National Statistics. The Government accepted all the recommendations and are now working closely with the Office for National Statistics to implement them. This has included the ONS publishing plans to recover economic statistics and to improve and enhance its surveys, and the appointment of a new Permanent Secretary to run the ONS.
Baroness Bousted (Lab)
Does my noble friend the Minister share my concern that the response rate to the Labour Force Survey dropped to just over 14.5% in 2023, down from nearly 48% a decade earlier, and that the gender pay gap has been underreported for the past 20 years? Does she agree that a democratic society cannot function well without reliable, timely and accurate statistical data?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
My Lords, the drop in the response rate is of deep concern, and I thank my noble friend for asking. Concern about the Labour Force Survey and our economic statistics more widely was a key reason for the Devereux review, which was commissioned earlier this year. As I said, since then the ONS has published a survey improvement enhancement plan on economic statistics. I assure my noble friend that this is something that we are taking very seriously, not least because having clear data, especially in an age of misinformation, ensures that the Government can act. This is always the case with the gender pay gap—but, regardless of the data, what is clear is that the underlying message on the gender pay gap is the same. There is a persistent gender pay gap that is bad for women, businesses and growth, which is why this Government are taking the necessary steps to ensure that it narrows more quickly.
Arm’s-length Bodies
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Baroness Bousted
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
This Government, unlike the last one, are very aware that every penny we spend is taxpayers’ money. That is why we are reviewing every arm’s-length body and will be the first Government in history to ask the Civil Service to look at our manifesto to see which of our commitments for arm’s-length bodies should be delivered directly by government departments rather than by an individual entity. With regard to the costing, we are at a very early stage—only nine months into this Government—for the creation of some of these bodies. As each body is established, the figures will be released in the normal way.
Baroness Bousted (Lab)
My Lords, in creating new arm’s-length bodies, are the Government looking to utilise the skill sets and experience of civil servants and others who are currently on arm’s-length bodies that are due to be disbanded?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
My noble friend raises an excellent point. This Government are about making sure that we have the right people in the right place to deliver on our plan for change and our mission-driven Government. Delivery is key. Where people have the right skill sets, we will deploy them to make sure we are delivering for the people of the United Kingdom.