Case Study 1

Case Study 1: Incorporating non-National Statistics in a National Statistics publication

SCENARIO

The Editors of a National Statistics Compendium publication were unsure to what degree they could incorporate in their publication a set of statistics which were not designated as National Statistics without bringing into question the integrity of the whole publication and its National Statistics branding.

The term ´National Statistics´ covers a designated set of official statistics which are produced in accordance with the Framework for National Statistics, and are expected to meet the high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice and its supporting Protocols. National Statistics are also subject to regular quality assurance reviews and are produced free from any political involvement.

QUESTION

Which principles and protocols of the Code of Practice are relevant to this scenario?

SUGGESTED RELEVANT PRINCIPLES

The following principles might be considered to be the most relevant to this scenario:

• Relevance
• Integrity
• Quality
• Accessibility

SUGGESTED RELEVANT PROTOCOLS

The following protocols might be considered to be the most relevant to this scenario:

• Professional Competence
  using professional judgement
  
• Release Practices
  consistency and continuity of release (e.g. have non-NS statistics been included in the past - perhaps when they were National Statistics?)
  considerations of availability and accessibility
  
• User Consultation
  ascertaining users´ needs (e.g. will inclusion/exclusion of non-NS statistics affect the relevance of the publication?)
  
• Presentation, Dissemination and Pricing
  ´branding´ issues (e.g. use of the NS logo)
  making related statistics available via a single output
  
• Quality Management
  what sort of quality can be attached to the non-NS statistics? 
  why do they not have a ‘National Statistics’ designation?
  
• Statistical Integration
  harmonisation issues

QUESTION

What recommendations do you have?  In what way does the Code of Practice influence your recommendations?

SUGGESTED RECOMMENDATIONS

This situation arises in a number of compendia which are designated National Statistics.  The inclusion of data which are not NS recognises the fact that they add value in the context of the compendium concerned.  Whilst it is unusual for such statistics to be the focal point of compendia, they may highlight trends that would otherwise go unmeasured.

In this and every situation National Statistics producers need to:

• use their professional judgement;
  balance the different principles in the Code and Protocols.

There is no ´right´ answer to suit all occasions.  The final decision will depend on the individual circumstances prevailing at the time.  In this particular case, though, the Editor was advised to include the statistics in question and to be open and transparent with readers by making it clear that the data series were not National Statistics and explaining the reason for their inclusion in the publication.

The following form of words was suggested for inclusion in the publication:

"The data series included in the chapter(s) entitled XXXXX are not National Statistics. Nevertheless they have been included in this publication in the interests of continuity and integration, and in order to meet users´ needs for easy access to the full range of available statistics."

 Case study as word document