Dear all

For those of you attending the next meeting of the RSS Official Statistics 
Section meeting on 18 October at the RSS HQ (meeting starts 4.30pm) as well 
for those of you unable to attend, the following may be of interest:

The Office for National Statistics last week launched the second phase of a 
consultation programme on official statistics with the publication of a 
draft statistical work programme for 2008 - 12. A link to the consultation 
document can be found at

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/consultations/ons-stat-work-prog-
phase2.asp

The attached Word document provides a helpful summary of the phase 1 
responses, extracted from the ONS consultation document. This has been 
prepared for the Official Statistics Section committee.

ONS is now seeking further views from customers on whether the draft 
programme reasonably reflects the balance of user needs, whether there are 
any priority projects that should be included and, given that ONS must work 
within its budget, which should be dropped to make way.

The initial phase (Phase 1) of the consultation took place during June and 
July and resulted in response from 90 organisations and individuals.

The Phase 2 consultation document sets out, for each National Statistics 
Theme, the current range of outputs, the developments that are already 
planned, the responses to phase 1 consultation and ONS's  proposals for 
additional investment.

The third phase of consultation will involve the publication of the final 
statistical work programme with the opportunity for further comment on its 
content.

Submissions in answer to the questions set out in the Phase 2 consultation 
document should be sent to ONS by 30 November, by email to Priorities 
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Regards

Ross