Official statistics are key to informing effective government and service delivery, and contribute to evidence-based decision making. They help in the understanding of a broad range of issues relevant to society, the economy and the environment.
Official statistics are produced and published periodically by specific categories of public bodies, as set out in The Statistics and Registration Services Act 2007 and secondary legislation. The Act specifies that the production and publication of the statistics should follow the Code of Practice for Statistics. Official statistics are also covered by further legislation governing the handling and sharing of statistics prior to release. Official statistics can only be produced by Crown Bodies, or those non-Crown bodies, including JNCC, that are listed in the Official Statistics Order, on behalf of the UK Government or the devolved governments.
Statement of Code compliance
As a producer of official statistics, JNCC is committed to compliance with the core principles of the Code of Practice for Statistics:
- Trustworthiness – ensuring that the public can have confidence in the people and organisations that produce statistics.
- Quality – using suitable data and appropriate methods to produce reliable statistics that meet user needs.
- Value – producing accessible statistics that benefit the public by informing and supporting decision making, action and debate.
We are committed to following the standards set out in the Code of Practice, and in so doing, we also follow Defra Group statements and policies on Official Statistics. This means that users of the statistics and the wider public can have confidence in our statistics and the people who work on official statistics. This includes confidence in how statistics are produced and communicated.
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).
OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.
We are always looking for ways to improve our application of the Code of Practice for Statistics, and we welcome feedback. For example, we have worked with Defra to review the Biodiversity Indicators in relation to edition 3.0 of the Code of Practice for Statistics.
You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards.
Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.
Release practice policy
The orderly release of official statistics is a key aspect of the Code of Practice for Statistics, particularly for transparency under the core principle of trustworthiness.
Defra Group has published a Statement of Compliance regarding Pre-release Access to Official Statistics. As a Defra Group Arms’ Length Body, JNCC follows this statement in our practices.
Revisions and corrections policy
JNCC is committed to an approach of timely and transparent revisions and corrections to official statistics.
Defra has published a Policy Statement on Revisions and Corrections and, as a Defra Group Arms’ Length Body, JNCC follows this policy.
Data management approach and confidentiality policy
JNCC has its own Data Protection Policy and has published a Privacy Statement to ensure compliance with obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 18). The production and publication of official statistics by JNCC are carried out in accordance with these policies and procedures.
Quality management approach
JNCC has published an Evidence Quality Assurance (EQA) policy and our quality management approach for official statistics follows this policy.
Defra Group has published a Statistics Quality Statement. As a Defra Group Arm’s Length Body, JNCC adheres to this statement in the production and publication of official statistics.
Annual statistical work programme
JNCC announces the publication dates of official statistics in line with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Statistics.
A list of official statistics that JNCC is involved in producing and publishing, and links to publication announcements, can be found on the List and release dates page.
Public involvement and engagement strategy
JNCC collaborates with partner organisations to carry out continuous engagement with users of our statistics to help in understanding how they are used and how they can be improved.
For example, when carrying out reviews of the Biodiversity Indicators, Defra and JNCC have conducted surveys of users, and across JNCC’s other official statistics we have been working to increase user engagement.
Defra has published a User Engagement for Statistics Policy Statement and, as a Defra Group Arms’ Length Body, JNCC follows this policy.
Charges for supplementary statistical services
JNCC does not provide supplementary statistical services and therefore does not have a pricing policy for such services.
Statistical services for supplementary analysis of biodiversity monitoring data are provided by some monitoring scheme partner organisations. Please contact these organisations directly for more information.
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