The Chancellorís announcement to the CBI conference today that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is to be independent of government is both sensible and timely, says John Philpott, Chief Economist at the CIPD.
Philpott comments, ìGordon Brownís decision to make the ONS independent of government is a sensible move given recent criticism of the accuracy of official statistics in the UK. Although much of this criticism has been unfair, official statistics on crucial economic indicators like economic growth, employment, pay, productivity and the public finances must be seen to be as accurate as possible, beyond reproach, and immune from political pressure or controversy. This is especially true now that the ONS is actively engaged in implementing the recommendations of the Atkinson review with the aim of improving measurement of public sector output and efficiency.
ìThe ONS deserves the kind of status and reputation now enjoyed by the operationally independent Bank of England. The Chancellor should be congratulated on his decision, particularly since by announcing his decision ahead of next weekís pre-Budget report, Mr Brown is reinforcing the impression that he wants to take the politics out of statistics.î
CIPD welcomes Chancellors decision to take politics out of statistics
The Chancellorís announcement to the CBI conference today that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is to be independent of government is both sensible and timely, says John Philpott, Chief Economist at the CIPD
