HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Allsopp Review – Improving regional economic statistics [December 2003]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 10 December 2003.

Improvements in regional statistics are vital to improve decision-making in regional economic policy, according to the First Report of Christopher Allsopp’s independent Review of Statistics for Economic Policymaking, published today.

The Report explains how the devolution and regional economic policy agendas have led to a growing demand for regional data that is not met adequately under present arrangements. Its recommendations respond to the needs of policymakers and the wider user community, including business and academics at both national and local levels. These include:

• bringing Regional Accounts more into the National Accounts framework, including a better quality and more timely measure of real regional Gross Value Added;
• expanding the range of micro-economic and sub-regional data already available, with the infrastructure used by the Office of National Statistics’ (ONS) Neighbourhood Statistics Service becoming  the primary platform for area-based National Statistics;
• ONS or Government Statistical Service presence in the English regions to complement that which already exists in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; and
• greater access for the ONS to administrative data held within government, which could improve both regional and national data while offering important savings in the compliance burden on business.

Publishing his First Report, addressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Governor of the Bank of England and the National Statistician, Christopher Allsopp said:

“Government policy is, increasingly, emphasising regional and local decision-making.  To be successful, this change must be underpinned by high quality and timely statistical information.  These new demands present a major challenge to the statistical services and a large gap has opened up between what is needed and what is available.

“My Report identifies ways of addressing the demands of regional economic policy.  But this will require significant investment in, and commitment to, the UK statistical services.  The pay-off would be better informed policy at all levels and in all regions and countries of the UK.”

The Report highlights a number of areas where consolidation and review of existing arrangements, some already under way, could offer savings and efficiencies, while recognising the resource and business-compliance requirements of such a statistical agenda.

The Report is consultative and comments are invited in time to inform the Final Report by the time of Budget 2004. It also looks to the second stage of the Review, discussing the extent to which the UK statistical system has reflected the changing structure of the UK economy, in particular the relative importance of the manufacturing and service sectors.