National Statistics code of practice and protocols compliance statement by HM Treasury
HM Treasury is responsible for collecting, compiling, processing, analysing, interpreting, and disseminating a wide range of statistics, which cover public finance and spending.
Some of our statistics are designated as ‘National Statistics’ which means that they are produced in accordance with the arrangements set out in the Framework for National Statistics and in line with the principles set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice and its 12 supporting Protocols.
Links to Framework, Code and Protocols:
Framework for National Statistics
National statistics code of practise, statement of principles
Protocols that have been published to date
A catalogue of all our data products, identifying those which have been designated as ‘National Statistics’, can be found here .
As well as complying with the Code of Practice and its supporting Protocols, all of our National Statistics are also produced and published in accordance with the following statements and policies, each of which forms an integral part of this Compliance Statement.
Data Management
Introduction
The Protocol on Data Management, Documentation and Preservation applies to all our National Statistics. Due to the number of our National Statistics Products and the fact that all our data are obtained from administrative sources we do not have a specific Data Management Policy for our National Statistics Products. The following statement explains the steps taken to ensure we provide adequate Data Management for our National Statistics.
Principles of Data Management
All National Statistics published by the Treasury are derived from administrative data, in many instances from financial information provided to Treasury by other Government departments. Responsibility for ensuring the highest quality of data management and for the stewardship of each of our data holdings is vested in a number of trained, identifiable and accountable managers who will work under the overall direction of the Head of Profession.
These managers are responsible for ensuring that our organisation manages its data resources in accordance with the best practice principles and standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice and its supporting Protocols; with the Statements and Policies which form part of this Compliance Statement; and in accordance with the organisation’s statutory obligations. These managers are also responsible for:-
- guarding the integrity and security of the data in accordance with the organisation’s overall policies on security and business continuity and in accordance with our statement on confidentiality;
- ensuring that statistical resources are documented in a standard manner to increase usability and understanding of the data;
- archiving their resources in line with the organisation’s overall policy on data retention, preservation, and destruction.
The managers’ duties will evolve to match the development of each of the systems and policies described above.
Publication
Introduction
Our Publication Strategy is issued in accordance with the requirements set out in the National Statistics Protocol on Data Presentation, Dissemination and Pricing . Its aim is to make our National statistics accessible to the widest possible community and to maximise the use of our statistical information in all walks of life – subject to the need to comply with legal, ethical and confidentiality constraints. It is based on the following key principles:
Knowing our customers – the content of our resources and products, and the supporting information we provide will be informed by an understanding of our customers’ needs - obtained through a combination of analysis of demand, networking and consultation.
Informing our users – we will help customers and users to understand and make the best possible use of our products by publishing supporting, background, or educational information and material, and by encouraging users to contact us with queries.
A common identity – we will make it easier to identify which of our products have been branded as ‘National Statistics’ by using a common logo and by following standard practices and procedures.
Web focus – All National Statistics published by H M Treasury are available on the Treasury website. We will continue to provide products in other formats in line with our statutory obligations and where there is sufficient demand. Press releases with the key series are available in hard copy to subscribers, as well as being published on the website. The Treasury aims to release hard copy and website versions of press releases at the same time. In the case of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) we aim to have a version loaded onto the website within a day of publication as a Command Paper.
Charging – All the information we publish on-line will be free at the point of use. PESA is published by TSO as a Command Paper, and is available in hard copy for a charge that covers the costs of printing and publication.
Accessibility – We will make it easy for users to find and understand our published data by using adequate signposting and standard documentation procedures.
Release practices
The Release Practices Protocol will apply in full to all Treasury National Statistics releases.
Accessibility: number and type of releases
The Treasury publishes two regular monthly statistical releases, including one jointly with ONS, and one annual statistical publication, Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA). PESA also includes a substantial amount of non-National Statistics data, including budgetary plans and forecasts for future spending and details of Treasury budgeting controls. Certain key annual series published in PESA are updated at intervals through the year between PESA publications. These updates are issued as statistical releases. Both the monthly releases are regarded as market-sensitive:
- public sector finances (joint with ONS);
- UK official holdings of international reserves.
Pre-announcement
Release dates for Treasury's monthly statistical releases are pre-announced on the Treasury website and in NS updates .
For annual public spending data, exact release dates are dependent on the dates of key policy announcements. The publication date for PESA is fixed to follow the Budget, and thus would normally fall in late March or in April. Updates for certain key PESA public spending series are released as statistical releases separate from the associated policy announcement and publication, but on the same day as the publication of the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper in July, the Pre-Budget Report in November and the Budget document in March.
The annual schedule for release of annual public spending data published as National Statistics is:
- Budget Day (usually March or April) - update of key series (web release);
- Budget Day + 25 full working days, or the next day after that when Parliament is sitting, if Parliament is in recess - all series in PESA (published as Command Paper);
- PEOWP publication day (generally July) - provisional estimates for year to March for key series (web release);
- Pre-Budget Report publication day (usually November or December) - update of key series (web release).
The schedule for a year ahead is set out in these terms on the Treasury website; exact release dates will be added as soon as they are available. This information is also available in NS Updates.
Timing of releases
The timing of releases is determined by the Head of Profession in consultation with the National Statistician. All monthly statistical releases are issued at 9.30 am on the announced working day. Releases of updates for key public spending series are also issued at 9.30 am. Publication of PESA, as a Command Paper, will usually be timed so as to follow on after the paper has been laid before the House of Commons. This means that PESA will usually be published at a time later than 9.30 am.
Format of releases
The Treasury's Head of Profession maintains responsibility for the content and format of all statistical outputs that are published as National Statistics, in consultation with the National Statistician as necessary.
Regular monthly releases will be prepared to a standard format, that will be only varied infrequently, and then with good reason. Release of updates of key annual public spending series will also follow a standard format, though the content may vary form one release to the next - the main criterion for inclusion will be availability of new data.
As an annual publication, PESA will retain a core of standard tabulations that will generally not vary much in content and presentation from one year to the next. For certain tabulations, changes in presentation may be more frequent, eg. tabulations that derive from the Treasury's public spending budgeting regime. New tabulations may be introduced from time to time, as new data and/or analyses become available.
Statistical releases and publications will be issued separately from Ministerial statements about policy.
Pre-release access to statistics
H M Treasury maintains a record, available for public scrutiny, of all those who have pre-release access to statistical outputs to be published by the department as National Statistics, and of the purpose for which they have access. Any such access is in line with the Protocol. This includes access as management information and for quality assurance purposes.
Lists of individuals with privileged early access for briefing purposes, rather than as management information or for quality assurance, are published on the Treasury website for each statistical release and publication:
For market-sensitive statistics, privileged early access is provided no earlier than 40.5 hours (counting working days only) before release, that is at 5.00 pm on day one in advance of release at 9.30 am on day three. Recipients are required to make a regular declaration as specified in the Protocol, to the effect that they have only used the information themselves, for the specific purpose intended, (ie, briefing).
For statistics other than market-sensitive, privileged early access is provided no earlier than five working days before publication.
Updating procedure
H M Treasury undertakes to ensure that these notes on release arrangements and complementary information on the Treasury website are regularly updated.
Revisions
This Statement is issued in accordance with the requirements set out in the Protocol on Revisions and sets out our intention to be open and transparent about any revisions we make to National Statistics and to ensure that users of our statistics have easy access to comprehensive information about those revisions.
Treasury has three National Statistics releases, as outlined in our statement on release practice . Two of these products are subject to scheduled revisions and details of the corresponding revisions policy is available:
- Treasury’s monthly public finance statistics release is published jointly with ONS. The data in this release are open for comprehensive revision every month and are covered by the corresponding ONS public sector statistics revisions’ policy.
- Certain key annual series published in PESA are updated at intervals through the year between PESA publications. The data in these updates are issued as statistical releases and are open for revision at the time of every release. This ensures that the latest and best data are used at the time of release. The data cover key public expenditure budgetary statistics and public expenditure by function estimates.
Any unscheduled revisions will be pre-announced and include explanations for, and background details about, revisions, corrections or methodological changes. This information will be disseminated within the publications that incorporate them or as separately published notes on the Treasury Statistics on Public Finance and Spending website .
Errors
Many of the revisions we make are a normal, unremarkable and inevitable feature of statistical life and users are able to absorb and plan for those revisions accordingly. However, some revisions are ‘avoidable’ in the sense that they are the consequence of errors or weaknesses in our procedures or systems, rather than of design. In the latter case, and regardless of whether the responsibility is ours or others, we will follow the procedures described below:
Announcement of impending corrections
We will be open and transparent about the need for any unscheduled corrections and, in normal circumstances, and once we ascertain the need for a correction, and become aware of its likely size and direction, we will inform all users about our intention to issue corrections, and by when.
In the case of the market-sensitive monthly public sector finances release, published in conjunction with ONS, however, difficult decisions sometimes have to be taken about the most appropriate way to balance competing principles. The National Statistician/Heads of Profession reserve the right to decide when users’ right to know about impending corrections must give way to the requirement not to create market uncertainty. In such circumstances, and in due course, we will explain the reason for our chosen course of action.
Dissemination of corrections
Decisions relating to the dissemination of unscheduled corrections will be approved by the Head of Profession in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time but in general terms:
Web versions of releases/publications/tables/articles/etc
As soon as possible after we ascertain that a correction is necessary and warranted, we will amend all current electronic versions of any release, publication, table, article etc which contains the affected statistics or text, and re-populate the website as soon as possible with those amended versions. If the correction is minor or insignificant in the sense of being inconsequential and hardly noticeable, we will insert the necessary changes without alerting anyone. Otherwise, these electronic versions will include a note alerting readers to the fact that certain (albeit insubstantial) corrections have been incorporated and the reason why. If the error is substantial or significant, we will, in addition, issue a prominent alert on the website to notify users about the correction and the reason for its occurrence.
Paper versions of releases/publications/tables
Unless there are compelling reasons, we will not attempt to recall/re-issue any paper versions of any release, publication or table etc that contains the affected statistics or text if it has already been distributed. We will, of course, ensure that when we issue further paper copies, they will include any corrections that have been incorporated in the electronic versions.
However, if the error is substantial or significant, we will, where practicable, notify the recipients of paper versions by telephone or e-mail, and point them to the revised version available on the web. If the release or publication has a long shelf-life, we will consider re-issuing a revised paper version.
Confidentiality and access
This Statement is issued in conformance with the requirements set out in the Protocol on Data Access and Confidentiality. It sets out the arrangements we have put in place to:
- protect the security of our data holdings and uphold our guarantee that no statistics will be produced that are likely to identify an individual unless specifically agreed with them;
while at the same time - obtain maximum value from these micro-data, once obtained, by extending access to bona-fide and authorised third parties.
Arrangements for maintaining the confidentiality of statistical data
Physical security - All staff working in this organisation and all visitors to its sites require a pass to access the premises. There is no public access to any part of the organisation where confidential statistical data may be held.
Technical security - We maintain a GSI network. No confidential statistical data are held on laptops or any other portable devices or kept on unprotected portable storage media. All transmission of micro-data is conducted within the GSI network or on encrypted e-mail.
Organisational security - We use a combination of data management teams to protect and maintain our data.
Arrangements for providing controlled access to micro-data
All National Statistics published by the Treasury are derived from administrative data, in many instances from financial information provided to Treasury by other Government departments. Access to micro-data may be available on request. In every case, a prospective customer must make an application for approval for release.
Recording the details of access authorisations
Full details of all authorised access to the organisation’s micro-data are available on request.
Customer service
The customer service standards which apply to our National Statistics are covered by our Department’s overarching Publication Scheme which can be accessed via the following link. This also explains our policy on dealing with complaints:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about/publication_scheme/about_pub_detail.cfm
Our policy on dealing with complaints is also explained by our Department’s overarching statement which can be accessed via the following link:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about/about_complaints.cfm
Graham Parker
Head of Profession, Statistics
Associated documents
Internal links
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