Background
1. The Release Practices Protocol requires each Department/Administration to publish and maintain a statement describing how it applies the standards set out in the Protocol to each of its releases.
2. This statement sets out the position in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Application of protocol to National Statistics produced by DCMS
3. DCMS's Statistics Branch produces few statistical outputs itself, its primary role being to provide analytical information and advice in support of the Department's work programmes. DCMS does however have responsibility for 2 National Statistics statistical bulletins. None of the Department's statistical outputs are regarded as market sensitive.
Accessibility: Number and types of releases
4. DCMS's 2 National Statistics Statistical Bulletins are on Betting License Applications and Liquor License Applications. Each is produced every 3 years. Betting Licensing was last published in October 2003, and Liquor Licensing will next be published in late 2004.
7. The month of publication is given six months ahead, and the exact date is given at least two weeks ahead.
8. DCMS will maintain up-to-date details of its twelve-month forward schedule of its National Statistics publications on this website's
Statistics Outputs pages. This is available as hard copy on
by contacting DCMS Statistics Branch.
9. The Head of Profession maintains responsibility for the content, format and timing of all statistical outputs, in consultation with the National Statistician as necessary.
Timing of Releases
10. Statistics Outputs are published in the
Statistics Outputs section of the DCMS website by 10:30a.m. on the day of release.
Format of releases
11. Releases will normally be in the form of a statistical bulletin – a booklet giving a number of tables and commentary. This will normally be accompanied by a Statistical Release – a short summary of the key results, intended primarily to assist the media in reporting on the results. Occasionally, the extent of the material being released is such that only a very short Statistical Release is produced – this is often where the Release is providing headline" or key statistics, and a more detailed bulletin will be issued subsequently.
12. In general, regular releases are prepared to a standard format. Any statement about policy by the Minister is issued separately from the statistical release.
13. Typically, annual publications will retain a core of standard tabulations, but content may vary to reflect needs of users and to allow proper presentation and analysis of any new or particularly interesting results. They may also include academic articles and comments on research findings.
Pre-release access to statistics14. The Department maintains a record, available for public scrutiny on its website's
Statistics Outputs pages, of all those who have pre-release access and the purpose of that access. Any such access is in line with the protocol. This includes those with access for management, briefing, and/or quality assurance purposes.
15. Details of those allowed pre-release access for Ministerial briefing, in line with Protocol no more than 5 days ahead of publication, are published on the DCMS website
Statistics Outputs pages for each individual publication.
Availability of detailed results16. To encourage fullest use of source data, there are a variety of arrangements in place for making additional and more detailed results available on request, subject to restrictions of confidentiality and data quality. These are described in relevant outputs in the
Statistics Outputs pages and also on National Statistics Online.
Details for individual releases17. Details of arrangements for individual releases, including details of privileged pre-release access are published on
Statistics Outputs pages for each product. A hyperlink is on the electronic version of each output and is quoted in each hardcopy version.
Minimum standards applying to non-National Statistics
18. The Department also produces some statistics that are not classified as National Statistics. These are produced by the Department's Statistics Branch, whose main role is statistical support across the Department.
We often use National Statistics, for example providing briefing to Ministers on the results of the International Passenger Survey, and repackaging outputs from the Annual Business Inquiry to create broad estimates for the Creative Industries, Creative Industries Economic Estimates. Due to the definitions of the Creative Industries and cases where available data do not match these definitions, a number of assumptions have to be made.
Consequently, these outputs are described as 'estimates' and DCMS considers that they are not sufficiently robust to merit the high quality standards demanded by National Statistics. Nevertheless, these estimates will be produced following the National Statistics code good practice guidelines as far as possible.
Some work involving statistics and research is carried out within DCMS outside the direct control of the Head of Profession. Additionally, other research and data collection is carried out by the Non-Departmental Public Bodies sponsored by the Department.
19. It is inevitable that those who have access to management information may become aware of the likely results or directions of statistical analyses well before these are finalised or published as official statistics.
Updating procedure
20. DCMS undertakes to ensure that these notes on release arrangements and complementary information on Departmental and National Statistics websites are regularly updated.
