The Scottish Government

« Previous | Contents | Next »

Listen

NATIONALLY-AGREED SET OF DATA IN PUBLIC DOMAIN

Proposal

49. The consultation paper "Improving Statistical Services in Scotland" proposed to strengthen our consultation about the scope of Official Statistics in Scotland, with more clearly-defined priorities for the production, analysis and interpretation of statistics for both policy-making and wider public interest. It asked:

• How can we strengthen our consultation about the scope of official statistics?
• Should statistics publication be more streamlined e.g. wider access to underlying data rather than descriptive reports?
• Would you like to see more publication of policy focussed analyses rather than standard reports?

Findings:

Consultation Paper

On Consultation:

50. Respondents to the consultation paper suggested that ScotStat be used more effectively to strengthen consultation. However, there was acknowledgement that this consultation needs to go wider than the public sector, and that existing user networks should be considered. It is also vital that the consultation results in action.

• 'We believe that consultation about the scope of official statistics could be strengthened by making more effective use of existing structures such as SCOTSTAT. Making this more effective should be given a higher priority.' (Falkirk Council)
• 'We urge the Executive to develop this proposal further so that the focus is not simply on agreeing what data is required, but on how established ways of working need to change to ensure that core statistical services in Scotland promote equality.' (Commission for Racial Equality in Scotland)
• 'The Scottish Executive could strengthen consultation by using existing groups to consult, for example, the ECSNet group and the CIPFA Cultural Statistics Working Group.' (Scottish Museums Council)
• 'In strengthening consultation we recommend that those consultations are not limited to the more obvious regular users (for example those within government departments, other parts of the public sector or well-established user groups), important as they are.' (Statistics Commission)

On streamlining publications:

51. There was a desire from respondents for more access to detailed statistics but there was also a clear recognition of the value of short descriptive reports too, not least to ensure that statistics are not misinterpreted.

• 'Descriptive reports are informative but there is also the need for access to data that can be used as building blocks to compile information. Further development of the SNS site to facilitate this could be an option.' (Clackmannanshire Council)
• 'A descriptive report may continue to be the preferred dissemination option for some agencies and for the general public, limiting the possibility of misinterpreting the data.' (Highlands and Islands Enterprise)

On more policy focussed analyses:

52. Respondents welcomed more policy focussed analyses provided that these are separate from ministerial comment and interpretation.

• 'Greater emphasis is now being placed on outcome measures where statistical information is used to evidence the results of policy changes. Publications analysing statistics relevant to policy making, that demonstrate policy outcomes and inform future policy decision making would be beneficial.' (Clackmannanshire Council)

• 'Policy-focussed analyses have an important role to play provided they are objectively based on the available facts and statistics. For this, they need to be clearly distinct from ministerial comment and interpretation.' (Dr David S Gordon)

The Annual Statistics Stakeholder Conference 2007

53. The workshops at the conference considered these issues, key points on consultation included:

• Most stakeholders want to be consulted about Scottish Official Statistics and think this would be beneficial for all involved.
• Generally email is the preferred vehicle for consultation, but it was felt that more statistics events would beneficial. Workshops, membership of relevant groups and presentations were also cited as beneficial ways of consulting.
• It was felt that consultation/events should be tailored around specific issues and topic areas.
• Type of networks suggested were; annual seminars, more proactive marketing/use of ScotStat, web-site discussion forums, knowledge exchange, a dedicated statistics network for local authorities, a Scottish Government statistics magazine and more partnerships between Scottish Government and companies.

54. Key points on publications included:

• Desire for more access to raw data/methodologies/small area data to facilitate independent analysis by users and more inter-linkage between different datasets.
• Access to methodologies is seen to be very variable across Scottish Official Statistics - some areas need to improve.
• There is a need for the provision of more international statistical comparisons but also recognition that the accuracy of these is often questionable.
• There is a strong user demand for small area statistics.

Scottish Government Response on Data in the Public Domain:

55. On consultation, we agree with the view from stakeholders that we need to make more use of the already established ScotStat network. A key aim of the stakeholder conference, held for the first time in October 2007, was to make potential users ( i.e. not the 'usual suspects') aware of ScotStat. The conference will be an annual event, to be supplemented with smaller seminars on specific topics throughout the year.

56. We are committed to involving more statistical users and providers of statistics in our plans for statistics production and publication. Statisticians will engage in a regular cycle of planning with more stakeholder involvement - including that of government, the Parliament and the wider user base.

57. ScotStat would be the first port of call for consulting users and providers of statistics but we do need to extend our outreach beyond the usual consultees. The ScotStat website has been redesigned to help facilitate wider stakeholder engagement - the new website was published on 30 May 2008 ¹³.

58. On publishing statistics, we will make proactively available the statistics used to inform key decisions. We want to ensure that the Parliament and public have access to the statistics they need to assess government performance. This access is absolutely vital in generating properly informed debate.

59. The new Scotland Performs website, launched on 2 June 2008, does just that.¹⁴The website allows the public to monitor progress towards the Government's Purpose and Outcomes. Much of the data used to measure the indicators and targets are Scottish Official Statistics, and as such will be subject to the new UK Statistics Authority's assurance processes. The methodology used to determine the indicators is also provided on the website.

60. The Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics website now provides data on the Government's National Performance Framework indicators, published on Scotland Performs, at more detailed geographies. We've also used our High Level Summary of Statistics, another key development aimed at helping users, to give access not only to the data underpinning the Scotland Performs indicators, but also a whole range of other key statistics which enable people to form their own views of change in the country. We are also looking at international comparisons as part of the next phase of development of Scotland Performs.

61. The Scottish Government statistics website has received positive feedback for accessibility -www.scotland.gov.uk/Statisticswas one of few websites that attracted praise in the Statistics Commission's research into the ease with which both experienced researchers and novices could find and use UK Official Statistics through the Web. ¹⁵

62. However, given the feedback from stakeholders there is clearly more that we can do to meet the needs of users of statistics. We recognise that different types of users require different types of outputs - and different access methods. The next step in our statistics website strategy is to give users more access to the data underlying, and the methodologies used to produce, Official Statistics.

63. It is clear from consultation responses that users want more access to underlying data and more policy focussed analysis but that they still value our regular descriptive publications. We can't do everything but we will work with statistics users to define their priorities and to help us balance resources most effectively.

« Previous | Contents | Next »