Roles and responsibilities

• About statistics
• The National Statistics standard
• Background
• Roles and responsibilities
• Theme Working Groups
• Statistics Commission
• The GSS
• Code of Practice
• Documentation
• Themes
• Link to producers
• About the products
• User guidance
• Best practice
• Methodology & quality
• Geography
• Classifications
• Consultations
• Development programmes
• Revisions
• Harmonisation
• Joined-up data
• About ONS

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The National Statistician has overall responsibility for the professional integrity and statistical quality of all outputs designated as National Statistics and ensuring that they are produced in accordance with the standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice and supporting protocols.

The chancellor of the exchequer is the Minister responsible for National Statistics. His duties include appointing the National Statistician and members of the Statistics Commission. He co-ordinates and publicises the Government's response to the views of the Statistics Commission and lays before Parliament the separate annual reports produced by the Commission and the National Statistician.

Under devolution arrangements, Ministerial responsibility for the coordination of National Statistics is shared with the Minister for Finance in the Scottish Executive, the Finance Secretary in the Welsh Assembly Government, and the Minister for the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland.