Russell and Carol - hayle and hearty

Disgraceful

Serious reprimand for Iain Duncan Smith from @ukstatsauthBackground guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/… guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/… w @jdportes

— Declan Gaffney (@djmgaffneyw4) May 10, 2013

In the past three weeks, readers of mainstream UK newspapers have learned a number of things about the UK social security system and those who rely on it. They have learned that 878,000 claimants have left employment and support allowance (ESA) to avoid a tough new medical assessment; that thousands have rushed to make claims for disability living allowance (DLA) before a new, more rigorous, assessment is put in place; and that one in four of those set to be affected by the government's benefit cap have moved into work in response to the policy. These stories have a number of things in common. Each is based on an official statistic. Each tells us about how claimants have responded to welfare policy changes. Each includes a statement from a member of the government. And each is demonstrably inaccurate.

via Conservative claims about benefits are not just spin, they're making it up | Declan Gaffney and Jonathan Portes | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

UK Stats Authority

@ukstatsauth today publishes a report on DWP Work Programme statistics at bit.ly/12wj9Yu

— UK Stats Authority (@UKStatsAuth) May 3, 2013

We have concluded that the statement attributed to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions that ‘Already we’ve seen 8,000 people who would have been affected by the cap move into jobs. This clearly demonstrates that the cap is having the desired impact’2, is unsupported by the official statistics published by the Department on 15 April.

Andrew Dilnot today writes to DWP regarding statistics on the benefit cap at bit.ly/10IuGSW

— UK Stats Authority (@UKStatsAuth) May 9, 2013

Rt. Hon. Iain Duncan Smith MP
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions

Dear Secretary of State

DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS STATISTICS

I have today replied to a letter from Nicola Smith at the Trades Union Congress regarding the recent publication of statistics about the benefit cap, and a copy of my reply is attached.

We have also considered the two short statistical reports published on 12 April against the criteria that the Statistics Authority has published for identifying material that should be regarded as official statistics and published in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.1 These criteria are in essence that the statistics are used publicly in support of policy, or otherwise are seen to be of public significance. Clearly, the statistics in question qualify on both grounds.

In the manner and form published, the statistics do not comply fully with the principles of the Code of Practice, particularly in respect of accessibility to the sources of the data, information about the methodology and quality of the statistics, and the suggestion that the statistics were shared with the media in advance of their publication.

In March, when considering a complaint about the handling of statistics on child support, I was told that senior DWP officials had reiterated to their staff the seriousness of their obligations under the Code of Practice and that departmental procedures would be reviewed.2 The Board of the Statistics Authority would welcome further assurance that the working arrangements within the department give sufficient weight to the professional role and public responsibilities of statisticians.

I am copying this to Dame Anne Begg MP, Chair of the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee; Bernard Jenkin MP, Chair of the Public Administration Select Committee; Sir Jeremy Heywood, Cabinet Secretary; Robert Devereux, DWP Permanent
Secretary; and to Jil Matheson, the National Statistician