One of the remarkable features of the White Paper is to indicate how little
the situation has changed since the Rayner Review of the GSS in 1980.
The White Paper of 1981 recommended that on matters of validity and
integrity the Director of the Central Statistical Office as head of the GSS
should have the right of direct access to the Prime Minister. The 1999
White Paper proposes continuation of this right of access using identical
wording.
But there is no indication anywhere of whether this right of access has been
exercised at any time in the past eighteen years. Does anyone know of any
evidence that it has been used?
In 1981 in the early days of Thatcherism such a right of access seemed
unobjectionable. But the scorn with which statistics and the GSS were
treated later in the 1980s made it apparent that this right of access would
be likely to rebound on whoever dared to exercise it. One can reasonably
speculate that if the Head of the GSS had gone to see the Thatcher about the
treatment of the unemployment statistics, or about the misuses of official
statistics made by the Tory ministers exposed in the 1989 Cooking the Books
programme, he would have come away with a handbagged ear and a cut in the
GSS budget.
No doubt Tony Blair would find different ways of handling the situation.
Another common feature of the two white papers is the adding of titles to
the head of the GSS. The 1981 White Paper gave the Head "a new remit as
head of profession". The 1999 White Paper gives the head a new title of
"National Statistician". But it not clear that this title changes what the
Head of the GSS actually does.
So there is an again an attempt at achieving things by adding to the formal
responsibilities of the figurehead. Might we next have a Lord Mayor of
Statistics????
Ray Thomas, Social Sciences, Open University
Email: [log in to unmask]
Tel: 01908-679081 Fax: 01908-550401
Post: 35 Passmore, Milton Keynes MK6 3DY
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