Commentary on Sections and Schedules Part 1: the Statistics Board Section 12 Assessment
67.This section provides a mechanism for the independent assessment by the Board of official statistics, where the Board is asked to do so by the relevant Minister or other appropriate authority, against the published set of standards set out in the Code of Practice. The results of the assessment will be made public.
68.Under subsection (2) if the Board judges that the statistics meet the standards in the Code, then the Board must designate them as ‘National Statistics’. If they do not, then they will not be so designated.
69.Subsection (3) requires that once the appropriate authority has requested an assessment of an official statistic under subsection (1), they may not withdraw that request, and the Board must undertake an assessment of the statistics in question.
70.Subsection (4) requires the person responsible for the statistics being assessed to provide the Board with any information it might reasonably require.Subsection (6) allows the Board, when carrying out assessments, to take into account information or advice from any source.
71.Under subsection (5) the Board must publish the results of any assessment.
72.Subsection (8) allows for the fact that, at the point of commencement, there will already be a set of National Statistics. These statistics will be designated as National Statistics, under the terms of this section and subject to the re-assessment outlined in section 14.