Withdrawing from the Scope of National Statistics

Any proposal to withdraw an output either from scope, or entirely, should first be cleared by the Head of Profession or by the Chief Statistician in a devolved administration. The proposal should then be submitted by the HoP/CS to the National Statistician. Their submission would typically include:

• the rationale for the proposed withdrawal
• background to the series and its uses
• the short and long-term plans (withdraw for good, can no longer afford, is no longer required, withdraw and re-instate following a review .....etc)
• the intended user consultation process

If the National Statistician supports the proposal, then the HoP/CS should inform their  Minister(s) with responsibility for statistics. Their Ministerial submission should cover:

• the context within which this proposal has been made
• the professional advice of the HoP/CS and the National Statistician
• plans for public consultation
• plans for managing the eventual  withdrawal/termination of production 

Following Ministerial briefing, and assuming Ministerial acquiescence, the user consultation process should begin, in accordance with the principles contained in the Protocol on User Consultation. The public consultation should:

• be announced through a Press Notice
• last for a minimum of 12 weeks
• involve key stakeholders
• be posted on the Departmental and NS websites

In the light of any public submissions, a final decision will be taken by the HoP/CS in conjunction with the National Statistician. The HoP/CS should then make a recommendation to their Minister(s) on the basis of this joint decision.  The resulting outcome should then be announced via a Press Notice and a summary of the consultation placed on the web and sent to all respondees.
 
Details will be then be listed in the next  edition of the National Statistics Annual Report.