Review Of Official Statistics

EDM number 163 in 1989-90, proposed by John Evans on 06/12/1989.

That this House calls on the Government to establish an official review of official statistics; notes the meeting organised by the Royal Statistical Society, addressed by Jack Hibbert, the Director of the Central Statistical Office, on the subject of maintaining public confidence in the use of official statistics; draws attention to growing concern that official statistics are being used selectively by Ministers of the Crown to misrepresent the progress of Government policies; notes the confusion over the number of homeless people due to the inadequacy of official statistics; notes that misrepresentation leads to confusion and distrust across the entire range of figures published by the Government; argues that statistics should be used to help the public understand their society, not to mislead them about it; and asks that the Government gives consideration to the establishment of a Statistical Council along the lines common in other European states to provide impartial interpretation of official statistics free from governmental or party interest.

This motion has been signed by a total of 49 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.