1 THE COVERAGE OF NATIONAL/OFFICIAL STATISTICS

The scope of National Statistics is summarised in Principle 1 of the Draft
Code of Practice (page 8). Principle 1 states that: 'National Statistics
are statistics that inform decisions of significance in government,
businesses and the wider community. Within available resources, National
Statistics will meet the needs and aspirations of users'.

This expression of the scope of National Statistics represents a narrowing
of previously articulations. The Green Paper of 1998 said that National
Statistics were those intended for public use 'describing the state of the
nation and measuring the performance of government' (Cm3882, Para 4.3).
Tony Blair was more specific in the White Paper of 2000, saying that
official statistics should 'allow people to judge whether the Government is
delivering on its promises' (Building Trust in Statistics, Cm4412, p iv).
The current ONS website goes further than any of these and claims that
National Statistics provide 'an up-to-date, comprehensive and meaningful
description of the UK's economy and society'.

These four articulations are different enough from each other to suggest
that neither the Government, nor the ONS, nor the Government Statistical
Service, has a clear idea of what the coverage of National Statistics, or
official statistics in general, should be.

A former editor once described the advertised claims of comprehensiveness
for the 'Social Trends' annual as 'legitimate puffery' (puffery =
advertisement disguised as praise). But puffery cannot be expected to give
guidance to members of the Government Statistical Service as to the what
should be their statistical priorities. Ruth Levitas in her book
'Interpreting Official Statistics' concluded that official statistics
'embody the interests of the state rather than those of citizens'. Is not
Levitas's generalisation closer to reality than the 'comprehensive' claim?

Is it not reasonable to expect that a Code of Practice should expand on
Principle 1 quoted in the first para above. Should not the Code
acknowledge the extent to which official statistics measure governmental
activity? Should not the Code discuss the principles that underlie the
nature and priorities in the production of statistics that are not measures
of governmental activity? Should not there be some kind of statement that
would indicate the nature of any self-imposed limits by the GSS on the
unachievable ambition to give a 'comprehensive' description of society?

Ray Thomas

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