Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any Government controlled data sets are cited as capital assets on the National Balance Sheet; and if so, which ones.

​The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Letter from John Pullinger CB, National Statistician, to The Lord Freyberg, dated 15 October 2018.

Dear Lord Freyberg,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking if any Government controlled datasets are cited as capital assets on the National Balance Sheet; and if so, which ones (HL10475).

No datasets are individually cited within the National balance sheet. Using data sourced from the capital stocks perpetual inventory model (PIM), a depreciated estimate for the total value of computer software and databases for Central Government is produced and published within the National balance sheet[1]. This estimate would include all purchased software, such as spreadsheet or e-mail systems, as well as databases.

Yours sincerely,

John Pullinger

[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/uksectoraccounts/bulletins/nationalbalancesheet/2018