Jane Hutt, Minister for Finance
This was published under the 2011 to 2016 administration of the Welsh Government
The Chief Statistician is today launching a consultation on a range of proposals relating to official statistics products.
Official statistics perform a vital role in helping government and other users make decisions, allocate resource, plan and understand the effectiveness of policy. Welsh Government statisticians produce a wide range of statistical outputs, around 500 per year, and these are used on a daily basis by government, the Assembly, local authorities, business, academia, the health service, the education sector and the media.
Demand for evidence and data has increased rapidly over the past few years and Welsh Government statisticians have expanded and developed their work. New technologies, open data and electronic dissemination have also changed the way that statistics can be made available.
The Chief Statistician’s consultation highlights areas where he plans to make changes in response to the changing environment by making more use of electronic dissemination, avoiding duplication, working collaboratively across organisational boundaries and reducing work that is of lower value.
The majority of the work of Welsh Government statisticians will not be affected by these proposals.
Under the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, it is a requirement to consult on changes to statistical products. The consultation is launched today and will run for 12 weeks. The deadline for responses is March 3rd.
It can be found on the Welsh Government website.
All users of statistics are welcome to respond to the consultation and any enquiries should be made to the Chief Statistician.