Statistics still open to political interference - Cable

4.11.43pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 8th Jan 2007

he Government's attempts to reform statistics will still leave much of the service open to political interference, according to Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable MP.

Speaking ahead of the second reading of the Statistics and Registration Service Bill on Monday, he said:

"The Bill as it stands proposes major changes that could be a big step backwards for the statistical service.

"The majority of statisticians working in the civil service will remain unprotected from political interference. Important and politically sensitive statistics such as those for crime, waiting lists and exam results will still be under ministerial control. This is totally unacceptable when the supposed aim of the Bill is to 'reinforce the independence, integrity and quality of statistics produced in government'.

"Statistics are a vital measurement of government performance. The sneak previews of statistics afforded to ministers give them a chance to trump up successes while attempting to bury failures.

"One way to curb the endless spinning of statistics is to stop these early previews and simultaneously share the data with other political parties. Statistics must be allowed to speak for themselves.

"With the Treasury in ultimate control of the make-up of the newly created Statistics Board, the governance of the statistical service will remain fundamentally flawed."