Commentary on Sections and Schedules Part 1: the Statistics Board Section 33 Head of Assessment
139.This section requires the Board to employ a Head of Assessment as its principal adviser in relation to assessments and re-assessments of National Statistics and their compliance with the Code. The Board must have regard to the advice of the Head of Assessment on those matters.
140.Subsection (3) establishes that, if the Head of Assessment is one of the executive members of the Board, he may not exercise the executive functions of the National Statistician under section 31. In particular, in the event of a vacancy in the post of National Statistician (section 31(5)), the Head of Assessment cannot be appointed to carry out that role. In addition, he may not be a member of the National Statistician’s executive office (responsible for statistical production), and may not in any other way take part in the production of statistics by the Board.