OSR Spotlight on Quality programme

Dyddiad y datganiad:
3 February 2025

FOI reference: FOI-2025-2496

You asked

Under the Freedom of Information Act, and in reference to this page, I would like to know the following:

  • the number of economics statistics you intend to examine under the spotlight on quality: assuring confidence in economic statistics programme 
  • the titles of the economic statistics that you plan to examine 
  • the amount of money allocated to the programme

We said

Thank you for your request.

Spotlight on Quality programme 

To date we have published six Spotlight on Quality assessments of economic statistics. These assessed the following economic statistics:  

  1. Business Enterprise Research and Development statistics (Office for National Statistics)  
  2. Business Investment Statistics (Office for National Statistics)  
  3. Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) and owner-occupiers' housing element of Consumer Price Inflation statistics (Office for National Statistics)  
  4. Producer Price Inflation Statistics (Office for National Statistics)  
  5. Statistics on Northern Ireland's Business Enterprise Research and Development (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency)  
  6. Statistics on Profitability of UK Companies and Gross Operating Surplus of private non-financial corporations (Office for National Statistics)  

We have also published:  

  • Spotlight on Quality Framework   

  • Review of the Economic Statistics Classification Process  

Our work program is currently focused following up our existing reviews and the systemic review of economic statistics and so we do not have any other ongoing assessments or reviews of economic statistics as part of the Spotlight on Quality programme. We have not yet determined which other economic statistics will be examined as part of the programme in future.   

Resources allocated to the Economy Business and Trade and Labour Market and Welfare domains in FTE

Our Statistics Regulators are arranged in domains focused on specific topic areas. Our regulatory work on economic statistics is conducted across two domains: the Economy Business and Trade (EBT) domain and Labour Market and Welfare (LMW) domain.  

Please note that we operate a matrix management approach. This means that Regulators from other domains can be brought in to project teams in EBT and LMW. Decisions are linked to overall OSR priorities.

The following posts are currently filled:

EBT  

  • Grade 6 Economics Expert Adviser (0.3 FTE)  

  • Grade 7 Statistics Regulator  

  • SEO Statistics Regulator   

  • Fast-stream Statistics Regulator   

  • Placement Student Statistics Regulator (shared with LMW)  

LMW  

  • Grade 7 Statistics Regulator  

  • SEO Statistics Regulator  

Together, these regulators account for approximately 30% of our regulatory workforce.   

In addition, the domains are supported by members of the OSR Senior Leadership team at Grade 6, Deputy Director (SCS 1) and Director General (SCS 3) level but this time is not separately identified.   

Money allocated by Regulation Committee for Spotlight on Quality programme

In addition to baseline funding, in April 2023 Regulation Committee confirmed an additional budget of £170,000 to support our work on economic statistics, this money was baselined in later financial years.

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