8 RELEASE PROTOCOLS
I don't want this discussion to be a monologue. So I'm going ahead of a
logical order to the Release Protocol because this Protocol even gets
members of the RSS jumping up and down with excitement (if you can imagine
that!). Members of the RSS fear that the Release Protocol shows that the
government is not serious in its support for an independent statistical
service. So I hope that others, and particularly members of the RSS and
GSS, will join in the discussion on at least this issue.
Members of this list should not, by the way, construe any of the messages I
have posted as derogatory of Len Cook the National Statistician. In my view
he has done a great job in putting together this Draft Code of Practice.
Does any other country in the world have such a Code? But inevitably the
Draft Code largely reflects existing GSS practices and ways of thinking and
reveals the character of the GSS - than manages to be both insular and
fragmented in both its practices and patterns of thought.
The Protocol on release dates can be used to illustrate the point. The
point of controversy is ministerial access before publication. The
Protocol points out that it is customary in the UK for ministers to have
early access. 'The sole purpose is for Ministers to be able to respond
completely when questions arise at the time of release'. The Protocol
proposes 40.5 hours early access for regularly published statistics and up
to five days for special reports. The justification for the 40.5 hours and
five days is not spelt out.
Surely 24 hours is enough for any Minister to be prepared to deal adequately
with questions??
It is therefore difficult to disagree with the critics who say that this
Protocol shows that the governmental machine is not giving the Office of
National Statistics full control over publication. But I find it is
difficult to agree that this is a substantial matter related to the creation
of an independent statistical service.
Who exactly in the government machine wants this five days early access?
Is it ministers, like John Prescott, who want five days to study a report so
that they can create their own spin on the statistics? Or is it
government departments who want five days to make sure that they can give
the correct spin their minister? If the latter then it appears we are back
to the decentralised/centralised battle within the GSS that has very little
to do with a statistical service independent of government.
No one outside the government machine can know the answers to these
questions. I hope therefore that those with insights into this machine
will contribute something .........
Ray Thomas
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