Statistics and Registration Service Bill

The Committee will be pleased to hear that I agree with every sentiment expressed by the noble Baroness about the objective of keeping assessment separate from the production of statistics. That is our intent, too, and I emphasise that we do not think the amendments are necessary to achieve our shared goal—a goal shared by all those concerned with the effective operation of the board. Clauses 29 and 31 make clear that the head of assessment is not to be part of the National Statistician’s executive office, as the noble Baroness recognised, nor is the head of assessment to take part in statistical production. As the staff working on assessment will report to the head of assessment, it follows that these staff are not part of the executive office, nor will they work on statistical production. We do not need to state this again in the Bill because it is clear that we have identified the need to separate the head of assessment from the production of statistics. However, I ask the Committee to consider whether there is a real difficulty with the fact that they are on the same board. Let me take an area in which inspection plays its part in a product that we all hold very dear to our hearts; education. It is possible for the inspectorate to be part of the board and represented on it. The inspectorate has an entirely different job and a different responsibility—it is the inspectorate of what the board is responsible for producing. There is no suggestion that because the chief executive is concerned with the promotion of educational standards, the inspectorate is somehow compromised because the inspector serves on the same board. However, it must be clear that their functions are defined as separate and that the board is there to guarantee that separation. That is exactly what is being proposed in this model. In Amendment No. 166 the noble Baroness has alighted upon the phrase, ““so far as practicable””. I recognise why she should, because there is a danger that this provision is a get-out from the position that those concerned with the production of statistics should not be involved in assessment. In the normal course of events we expect that the board will ensure that staff do not engage in the production and simultaneously the assessment of statistics. We have kept this phrase simply because it is possible that a member of staff might move from a post in the production of statistics to one on the assessment side and a small overlap in their work might result. That is not in any way, shape or form to compromise the principle on which the board will operate—to keep assessment separate from production—but working situations of that kind might arise. We simply did not want a position where a low-level overlap for a short period would cause a member of staff and the board employing him or her to fall foul of the legislation. That would render movement between the two functions very difficult indeed. But in career terms, a member of staff may well be involved at one stage in the production of national statistics and then pursue a career move on the assessment side. The provision is included for that purpose only, and the safeguard is that the board is charged with these two separate functions. That is set out clearly in the Bill and the board’s working practices will embody them. I have illustrated the point with an example from the field of education. The noble Baroness has indicated that her amendments are probing in nature, and I certainly hope that on this occasion I have satisfied her that the Government have thought this issue through.