Commentary on Sections and Schedules Part 1: the Statistics Board Section 31 National Statistician: executive functions
131.This section establishes that, as well as being the Board’s chief professional adviser, the National Statistician is also to be the Chief Executive of the Board, with direct authority to conduct the Board’s business, subject to the exceptions in subsection (3).
132.Subsection (2) enables the National Statistician to exercise any functions of the Board, except, undersubsection (3), the functions of deciding whether or not to adopt or revise the Code of Practice for National Statistics, or determining whether official statistics comply with the Code.
133.Subsection (4) allows the Board to direct the National Statistician on whether he may exercise a particular function and if so, how. This may include reserving the exercise of particular functions to the Board collectively.
134.If there is a vacancy in the post of National Statistician, subsection (5) enables the Board to appoint one of the other two executive members of the Board to carry out the National Statistician’s functions as Chief Executive.