Latest news with #SirIanDiamond
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
UK inflation number for April too high after data blunder
The UK's statistics agency has said the headline inflation rate for April was too high after it discovered it had been given incorrect road tax data by the Department for Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the pace of general price rises should have been 3.4%, instead of the 3.5% it had comes as the ONS faces a crisis of confidence in its work after concerns about the quality of its concerns make it more difficult for the government and companies to make fully informed decisions about the UK economy. The ONS said it had spotted an error in Vehicle Excise Duty data. It found that the number of vehicles people were paying road tax on in the first year of registration was too high in the data that was statistics agency said it would not be amending April's inflation figure, in line with a policy that it only carries out revisions in exceptional it did say it would be reviewing how it checks the quality of data from outside the agency "in light of this issue".Both the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) and Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation figures were 0.1 of a percentage point too high for the year to April. Last month, the ONS's former head Sir Ian Diamond resigned with immediate effect due to health April, the UK's Office for Statistics Regulation had set out its concerns about the quality of the data provided by the ONS concerns focused on, but were not limited to, widely-recognised problems with the Labour Force Survey which is used to measure the unemployment rate in the the pandemic, statistics agencies around the world have struggled to get good enough response rates to ensure their data is of the quality they would regulator said it would like more assurance that the ONS had sufficient steps in place to regularly review and improve sample design and representativeness, tackling bias, survey methodology, and imputation.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Head of ONS steps down over ‘health issues' amid criticism of data flaws
Britain's most senior statistician has stepped down citing 'ongoing health issues', amid criticism over flaws in recent economic data. Sir Ian Diamond confirmed he has resigned as head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) with immediate effect. Sir Ian led the organisation for the past five years, including overseeing important data-gathering following the Covid-19 pandemic. He said: 'It has been an honour and a privilege to lead the ONS over the past five-and-a-half years and I have been immensely proud of the prominent role that independent statistics and data have played in informing the critical decisions of the day. 'Unfortunately I have made the decision that, due to ongoing health issues, I am unable to give the commitment to the role of national statistician that I would like to and feel that it is the right time for somebody else to pick up the baton.' It comes amid criticism from politicians and Bank of England officials over potential inaccuracies in some of the ONS's economic data, particularly its labour market survey data. The organisation has previously said it is overhauling its regular jobs survey due to concerns over the reliability of data. The ONS's labour force survey is the UK's official measure of how many people are in work, but response rates have plummeted and the public body has been forced to rework the survey as a result. It has indicated it will switch to a new model by 2027, despite officials in Government and the Bank of England using the data in decision-making. In February, Sir Ian also said he had been forced to make £34 million in efficiencies in recent years, while facing 'a number of inflationary pressures'. The UK Statistics Authority said Emma Rourke, deputy national statistician for health, population and methods, will take his place until 'longer term arrangements' are agreed. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Sky News
09-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
UK's top statistician Sir Ian Diamond quits following row over economic data
Britain's most senior statistician has quit as head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the wake of criticism of potential inaccuracies in some of its economic data. Sir Ian Diamond said in a statement he had resigned with immediate effect "due to ongoing health issues". He had led the agency for the past five years, including overseeing national COVID figures during the pandemic. However, MPs and Bank of England officials have recently criticised the ONS amid concerns over the reliability of some of its data, particularly its labour market survey. The organisation's figures, which cover most aspects of life and death in the UK, are often used to inform the government and public bodies about how they should allocate the use of taxpayers' money. The labour market survey is the UK's official measure of how many people are in work, but response rates have plummeted and the public body has been forced to rework it as a result, with the agency expected to switch to a new model by 2027. The ONS also recently introduced changes to how it measures inflation. Such data influences the Bank of England's decisions on interest rates, which in turn affect the cost of borrowing and savings. In February, Sir Ian revealed he had been forced to make £34m of cuts in recent years while facing "a number of inflationary pressures". The UK Statistics Authority said Emma Rourke, deputy national statistician for health, population and methods, would take his place until "longer-term arrangements" were agreed. In a statement, Sir Ian said: "It has been an honour and a privilege to lead the ONS over the past five-and-a-half years and I have been immensely proud of the prominent role that independent statistics and data have played in informing the critical decisions of the day. "Unfortunately I have made the decision that, due to ongoing health issues, I am unable to give the commitment to the role of national statistician that I would like to and feel that it is the right time for somebody else to pick up the baton."
Telegraph
09-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
ONS chief quits amid criticism of ‘flawed data'
Britain's most senior statistician has resigned amid criticism over flaws in recent economic data. Sir Ian Diamond cited 'ongoing health issues' as he resigned as head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) with immediate effect. Sir Ian led the organisation for the past five years, including overseeing data-gathering following the Covid-19 pandemic. He said: 'It has been an honour and a privilege to lead the ONS over the past five-and-a-half years and I have been immensely proud of the prominent role that independent statistics and data have played in informing the critical decisions of the day. 'Unfortunately, I have made the decision that, due to ongoing health issues, I am unable to give the commitment to the role of national statistician that I would like to and feel that it is the right time for somebody else to pick up the baton.' His resignation comes amid criticism from politicians and Bank of England officials over potential inaccuracies in some of the ONS's economic data, particularly its labour force survey (LFS) data. The organisation has previously said it is overhauling its regular jobs survey due to concerns over the reliability of data. The ONS's labour force survey is the UK's official measure of how many people are in work, but response rates have plummeted and the public body has been forced to rework the survey as a result. It has indicated it will switch to a new model by 2027, despite officials in Government and the Bank of England using the data in decision-making. In February, Sir Ian also said he had been forced to make £34 million in efficiencies in recent years, while facing 'a number of inflationary pressures'. The UK Statistics Authority said Emma Rourke, deputy national statistician for health, population and methods, will take his place until 'longer term arrangements' are agreed.
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
ONS head Sir Ian Diamond steps down for health reasons after data controversy
The head of the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), Sir Ian Diamond, has resigned with immediate effect due to health reasons, at a time when the ONS faces a crisis of confidence in its work."Due to ongoing health issues, Sir Ian has decided he is unable to give the full commitment he would like to drive the organisation forward," the ONS month, a report from the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) laid out its concerns about the quality of the ONS's concerns focused on, but were not limited to, the widely recognised problems with the Labour Force Survey which is used to measure the unemployment rate in the UK. Dr Sarah Cumbers, chief executive of the Royal Statistical Society, said: "Sir Ian Diamond showed outstanding leadership of the ONS and the wider statistical system during the pandemic, helping to make the UK a world leader in delivering timely data in a rapidly changing environment."Dr Cumbers also acknowledged the OSR report."Given the recent scrutiny of the system, we look forward to engaging with the Cabinet Office and the UK Statistics Authority to consider how the National Statistician role should evolve, and to working with Sir Ian's successor to address the ongoing challenges," she report looked at concerns around business surveys and found that ONS staff were not always being listened to when flagging emerging problems to senior managers.A lack of confidence in the quality of data makes it more difficult for the government and companies to make fully informed the pandemic, statistics agencies around the world have struggled to get the response rates that they would like to ensure their data is of the quality they would regulator said it would like more assurance that the ONS has sufficient steps in place to regularly review and improve sample design and representativeness, bias, survey methodology, and imputation.
