Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007
Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007
2007 Chapter 18
An Act to establish and make provision about the Statistics Board; to make provision about offices and office-holders under the Registration Service Act 1953; and for connected purposes.
[26th July 2007]
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
Part 1
The Statistics Board
The Statistics Board
1 Establishment
(1) There is to be a body corporate to be known as the Statistics Board (in this Part called "the Board").
(2) In Gaelic the Board is to be known as Am Bord an Staitistig.
(3) In Welsh the Board is to be known as Y Bwrdd Ystadegau.
2 Status
(1) The Board is to exercise its functions on behalf of the Crown.
(2) Accordingly, the property, rights and liabilities of the Board are property, rights and liabilities of the Crown.
Members and staff
3 Members
(1) The Board is to consist of executive and non-executive members.
(2) The non-executive members are to be—
(a) the chairman, appointed by Her Majesty, and
(b) at least five other persons appointed by the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
(3) Before appointing any person under subsection (2)(b) the Minister for the Cabinet Office must consult the chairman.
(4) The persons appointed under subsection (2)(b) must include—
(a) one person who is appointed by the Minister for the Cabinet Office after consulting the Scottish Ministers,
(b) one person who is appointed by the Minister for the Cabinet Office after consulting the Welsh Ministers, and
(c) one person who is appointed by the Minister for the Cabinet Office after consulting the Department of Finance and Personnel for Northern Ireland.
(5) The Minister for the Cabinet Office may, after consulting the chairman, designate one of the non-executive members appointed under subsection (2)(b) as deputy chairman.
(6) The executive members are to be—
(a) the National Statistician (see section 5), and
(b) two other employees of the Board, appointed by the non-executive members.
(7) A person may not be both a non-executive member of the Board and an employee of the Board.
4 Non-executive members
(1) A non-executive member of the Board is to be appointed—
(a) for at least one and no more than five years, and
(b) on such other terms and conditions as the person making the appointment thinks fit.
(2) A non-executive member is to hold and vacate office in accordance with the terms and conditions of his appointment, subject as follows.
(3) A non-executive member may resign at any time by notice in writing to the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
(4) The person appointing a non-executive member may dismiss him by notice in writing on the grounds that—
(a) the member has been absent from meetings of the Board without permission of the Board for a period of more than three months,
(b) the member is the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order (or interim order),
(c) the member has had his estate sequestrated in Scotland or, under Scots law, has made a composition or arrangement with, or granted a trust deed for, his creditors,
(d) the member is unfit for office by reason of misconduct,
(e) the member has failed to comply with the terms of his appointment, or
(f) the member is otherwise unable, unfit or unwilling to perform his functions.
(5) Where—
(a) a non-executive member ceases to be a member otherwise than on the expiry of his term of office, and
(b) it appears to the Minister for the Cabinet Office that there are circumstances which make it right for him to receive compensation,
the Board may pay him compensation of an amount approved by the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
(6) A person who has ceased to be a non-executive member is eligible for re-appointment (on any number of occasions).
5 Executive members and other staff
(1) The Board is to have—
(a) an officer known as the National Statistician, and
(b) an officer known as the Head of Assessment.
(2) The National Statistician is to be—
(a) appointed by Her Majesty, and
(b) employed by the Board on the terms and conditions of his appointment (which may include provision relating to dismissal).
(3) The Head of Assessment is to be—
(a) appointed by the non-executive members of the Board, and
(b) employed by the Board on the terms and conditions of his appointment.
(4) The Board is to have such other employees as it may appoint.
(5) The persons appointed under subsection (4) are to be employed on the terms and conditions of their appointment.
(6) The Board may only appoint persons under subsection (4) with the approval of the Minister for the Civil Service as to numbers and terms and conditions of employment.
(7) Service as an employee of the Board is service in the civil service of the State.
(8) The employees of the Board who are appointed members of the Board under section 3(6)(b) are to hold office as members in accordance with the terms and conditions of their appointment as members.
Official statistics: introductory
6 Official statistics
(1) In this Part "official statistics" means—
(a) statistics produced by—
(i) the Board,
(ii) a government department,
(iii) the Scottish Administration,
(iv) a Welsh ministerial authority,
(v) a Northern Ireland department, or
(vi) any other person acting on behalf of the Crown, and
(b) such other statistics as may be specified by order by—
(i) a Minister of the Crown,
(ii) the Scottish Ministers,
(iii) the Welsh Ministers, or
(iv) a Northern Ireland department.
(2) An order under subsection (1)(b) may in particular specify all, or a description of, the statistics produced or to be produced by a particular person or description of person.
(3) Before making an order under subsection (1)(b) an authority referred to in that provision must consult the Board.
(4) The Board must, at least once every financial year, publish a list of statistics which are at the time of publication official statistics by virtue of subsection (1)(b).
(5) In this Part "Welsh ministerial authority" means any of the following—
(a) the Welsh Ministers;
(b) the First Minister for Wales;
(c) the Counsel General to the Welsh Assembly Government.
7 Objective
(1) In the exercise of its functions under sections 8 to 21 the Board is to have the objective of promoting and safeguarding the production and publication of official statistics that serve the public good.
(2) In subsection (1) the reference to serving the public good includes in particular—
(a) informing the public about social and economic matters, and
(b) assisting in the development and evaluation of public policy.
(3) The Board is accordingly, in the exercise of its functions under sections 8 to 21, to promote and safeguard—
(a) the quality of official statistics,
(b) good practice in relation to official statistics, and
(c) the comprehensiveness of official statistics.
(4) In this Part references to the quality of any official statistics includes—
(a) their impartiality, accuracy and relevance, and
(b) their coherence with other official statistics.
(5) In this Part references to good practice in relation to official statistics includes ensuring their accessibility.
General functions relating to official statistics
8 Monitoring and reporting of official statistics
(1) The Board is to monitor the production and publication of official statistics.
(2) The Board may report any concerns it has about—
(a) the quality of any official statistics,
(b) good practice in relation to any official statistics, or
(c) the comprehensiveness of any official statistics,
to the person responsible for those statistics.
(3) The Board may publish its findings or any report under this section.
9 Definitions etc for official statistics
(1) The Board is to—
(a) develop and maintain definitions, methodologies, classifications and standards for official statistics, and
(b) promote their use in relation to official statistics.
(2) The Board may in particular for the purposes of this section give guidance and advice to persons responsible for official statistics.
(3) The Board may publish guidance and advice given under this section.
National Statistics
10 Code of Practice for Statistics
(1) The Board is to prepare, adopt and publish a Code of Practice for Statistics.
(2) The Board may at any time revise the Code and, if it decides to do so, must publish the Code as revised.
(3) In preparing or revising the Code the Board must consult—
(a) the Scottish Ministers,
(b) the Welsh Ministers,
(c) the Department of Finance and Personnel for Northern Ireland, and
(d) such other persons as it thinks fit.
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