This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Consultation on improving statistical services
11/12/2006
New proposals to further improve statistical services in Scotland are out for consultation today.
This includes improvements that are to be taken forward through the Statistics and Registration Service Bill, which the Executive is recommending should be extended to Scotland to enhance standards and scrutiny of official statistics.
The Bill, which was introduced to Westminster on November 21 and lodged as a draft legislative consent motion in the Scottish Parliament on December 5, will establish a new statutory body - the Statistics Board.
Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform Tom McCabe said:
"The Statistics and Registration Service Bill will enhance the standards and scrutiny of statistics in Scotland. The establishment of an independent scrutiny body for statistics will help to reassure the public that statistics are produced independently and monitored to high standards.
"The scrutiny and standards aspect of the Bill will complement the other improvements to statistical services in Scotland, which will be shaped further following this consultation."
The consultation runs from December 11 until January 9.
Background:
The Statistics Board will operate as a non-ministerial department at arms' length with a UK statutory responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the quality of official statistics. This will take over the current responsibilities of the Office for National Statistics and the Statistics Commission.
In Scotland, the role of the Board in setting and monitoring the standards of statistics produced by Scottish Executive and other departments responsible to Ministers, will demonstrate statistics are produced to a UK standards, are independently produced and subject to independent scrutiny.
It will also allow greater access to a wider range of top-level expertise across the UK and provide fully joined-up and reciprocal sharing of information, while providing suitable safeguards for the role of the Scottish Administration and Scottish Parliament in devolved areas.
Statistics production in Scotland will not transfer to the new Statistics Board.