Members of this list already know that the Royal Statistical Society is
organising an Open Meeting on Monday 28th January to discuss the draft code
of practice and the protocols on release of statistics
and ministerial consultation. Please note:
- The meeting starts at 3pm in the RSS London offices in Errol Street (see
http://www.rss.org.uk for directions). It will be briefly addressed by Len
Cook, National Statistician, and Sir John Kingman, Statistics Commissioner,
allowing plenty of time for contributions from the floor.
- If you would like a slot (up to 5 minutes) to speak, please register your
interest with Janine Smedley on [log in to unmask] The President of the
RSS, who will chair the session, will then select contributors according to
the time available. It would be helpful in planning the meeting to know
briefly what topic(s) you would aim to cover. The subject line of the email
should contain the phrase 'code of practice speaker'. The text of the email
should contain your name and affiliation (if appropriate).
- If you cannot attend but want to make a written contribution, send it to
Janine Smedley at the RSS by 9am on Wednesday 23 January (and optionally
also to the ONS). Written contributions will be read out if time is
available or otherwise be kept for the eventual record of the meeting.
Please get comments to the RSS asap and you will need to get comments to the
ONS before the end of the consultation period, 28 March.
Details of code etc on -
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about_ns/consultations.asp or you can get a
glossy printed copy from - James Denman, National Statistics and Policy
Division, Office for National Statistics, D4/12, 1 Drummond Gate,
London SW1V 2QQ. Or Email: [log in to unmask]
This is an unprecedented and perhaps never-to-be-repeated opportunity for
the users, the critics, and the subjects of official statistics to
influence the way government and members of the Government Statistical
Service think about statistics.
Ray Thomas,
(Secretary RSS Official Statistics Committee)
Tel: 01908 679081 Fax 01908 550401
Email: [log in to unmask]
35 Passmore, Milton Keynes MK6 3DY
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ray Thomas [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Sunday, December 30, 2001 12:37 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: NATIONAL STATISTICS CODE OF PRACTICE for the UK
>
>
> There is an 'Open Meeting' on the Draft Code of Practice at
> 1500 hrs on
> Monday 28th January 2002 at the Royal Statistical Society, London.
>
> The speakers scheduled are Len Cook (National Statistician)
> and Sir John
> Kingman (Chair of the Statistics Commission).
>
> The Code of Practice itself seems an innocuous document in that it
> summarises what the ONS believes is its current practice.
> But the chance to
> debate that practice is unprecedented and the opportunity to
> do so in such
> an open-ended situation is unlikely to be ever be repeated.
>
> The situation is 'open-ended' because the Code promises the
> production of a
> number of
> Protocols covering problem areas. Only two sets of Protocols are
> published with the Code itself at
> <http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about_ns/consultations.asp>.
> One set of
> draft Protocols is for Consultation arrangements between the National
> Statistician and Ministers. The other is about Release
> Practices. Only
> the subject matter is given for another 11 protocols
> promised. The promised
> protocols cover
>
> 'user consultation',
> 'customer service',
> 'professional competence',
> 'revisions policy',
> 'presentation, dissemination and pricing',
> 'data confidentiality, disclosure and access',
> 'data matching',
> 'data documentation management and preservation',
> 'respondent burden',
> 'quality management', and
> 'statistical integration'.
>
> The idea of these Protocols seems quite new, and it may be
> difficult for the
> ONS to
> ignore suggestions made about what these Protocols should
> say. There will
> probably be some discussion of these protocols on the Radstats and
> unemployment-research email lists.
>
> The status of the Draft Code of Practice is that of a
> Consultation Document.
> The Consultation period ends on 28th March.
>
> Ray Thomas, Social Sciences, Open University
> Tel: 01908 679081 Fax 01908 550401
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> 35 Passmore, Milton Keynes MK6 3DY
>
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