Statistics and Registration Service Bill

Such is the interest in pre-release that Members have flocked to the Chamber to see the Minister refuse to take the right step in terms of transferring the responsibility for pre-release out of the hands of Ministers who will draw up the regulations and into the hands of the independent board that will supervise other aspects of the production of national statistics. I believe that it is important that the regulations on pre-release are codified, that people are consulted on them, and that we accept the principle that there should be pre-release access to statistics. However, we do not accept the continuation of the Government’s control of the process, which has led to people viewing national statistics with increasing cynicism because of the pre-emptive spin that is so often applied to that information. We want to ensure that the rules concerning pre-release access are controlled not by the Government but by the board. I therefore wish to put new clause 5 to the vote. Question put, That the clause be read a Second time:— The House proceeded to a Division.