Restore trust in data, chief urgesparty leaders

Sir Michael Scholar, chairman of the UK Statistics Authority, said in a letter there was low public confidence in official figures because of a perception of “political interference”.

He wants an end to rules that allow Ministers and selected officials access to data such as crime statistics 24 hours before the Office for National Statistics releases them to the public and the Press.

Instead, pre-release arrangements should be organised by the authority, which would be likely to sharply reduce the buffer time.

In his letter Sir Michael also called for Ministers to consult the authority over future cuts to the number of statistical staff in government departments.

He fears drastic reductions could undermine the quality of information produced.

Sir Michael praised the efforts made in recent years to improve trustworthiness of Government data but said more action was needed.

He wrote: “As you may be aware, recent surveys have shown that public confidence in official statistics is low and there is a perception that official statistics are subject to political interference.

“The Statistics Authority believes that building confidence in the trustworthiness of official statistics should be at the heart of the programme of action which the new House of Commons will – we assume – want to put in place, in order to restore trust in Parliament and Government.”

The authority was created under legislation passed by Labour but since its creation has fought a series of skirmishes with Ministers.

Sir Michael said a Home Office knife crime fact sheet contained “selective” figures and their release had been “premature and irregular”, prompting an apology from then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

Last year he criticised Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman for publishing figures on the gender pay gap.