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Watching the watchdog
The Office for Statistics Regulation held a webinar on its work.
The Office for Statistics Regulation is the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority. During this pandemic, statistics made the headlines. There are numbers from public health surveillance, epidemic models, and grade estimations. The regulator held a public meeting on its work throughout this trying time.
In the year up to 31st March 2021, the regulator considered 323 pieces of casework. That is almost treble the previous year — where it had 109 cases. The regulator does not produce statistics itself — it oversees those who do. The OSR’s main concerns are the production, use, and value of public statistics.
Like other organisations, the Office for Statistics Regulation adapted:
- Making internal adjustments to its regulatory programme, with increased flexibility.
- Introducing new approaches, such as rapid reviews.
- Engaging in more informal ways with statistics producers.
- Evolving its approaches to casework.
On the production of statistics, there were endorsements for new outputs. Also, statisticians requested suspensions of National Statistic status. The pandemic produced chaotic disruption to people’s lives and data collection processes.
