Chairman of Statistics Commission names and shames serial offenders in government

5.30.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 8th Sep 2004

The Chairman of the Statistics Commission, Dr David Rhind, gave evidence to the Treasury Select Committee today regarding government abuse of national statistics. A Voluntary Code of Practice on the use of national statistics exists to prevent the massaging and manipulation of figures in order to put the government in a more favourable light.

However many government departments are falling foul of this code, as the Statistic Commission Annual Report for 2004 admitted to Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk, and other members of the Treasury Select Committee.

"We're not convinced that all Government departments and devolved administrations are yet fully committed to supporting what is essentially a voluntary code," said Dr Rhind.

Following questioning from Norman Lamb over which departments were serial offenders, Dr Rhind finally named the 3 government departments most frequently in the dock: the Home Office, the Department of Health, and the Department of Transport.

"It's no surprise to me that the Home Office and the Department of Health are guilty of breaching the code," Norman Lamb commented. "Immigration, crime, hospital waiting times, etc - these are all very sensitive subjects politically."

"However there is absolutely no excuse to bamboozle the public with massaged figures, added Mr Lamb. "This is just another example of deliberately misleading government spin."

The Statistics Commission is calling for a statutory code to be implemented with proper teeth. Norman Lamb has today added his support, arguing that departments and devolved administrations who continue to breach the code should be penalised.

"This is yet more evidence of unacceptable political spin which will further diminish people's trust in government and strongly adds to the case for a statutory code," said Mr Lamb.