The UK Statistics Authority was established in April 2008, under the Statistics and Registration Service Act, to lead an extensive reform programme and create a system in which the public, Parliament and all users of statistics can have confidence.

The National Statistician is the UK Statistics Authority’s Chief Executive and principal statistical adviser; and also the Head of the Government Statistical Service.

The Statistics Authority’s role is to promote and safeguard the production and publication of official statistics, and to maintain and improve their quality and thoroughness. It delivers these aims through three main statutory functions:

1. monitoring, and reporting publicly, on areas of concern about the quality, good practice, and comprehensiveness of all official statistics across Government and its arms-length bodies;
2. drawing up a Code of Practice to set professional standards; assessing all existing and potential National Statistics against these standards; and
3. replacing Ministers as the top governance layer for the Authority’s executive office, the Office for National Statistics (ONS).