Coherence of statistics 2023 to 2024

 This item is archived. Information presented here may be out of date.

Statistical coherence is about bringing together outputs on the same topic to better explain the part of the world they describe. This can be across the four countries of the UK where policy making has been devolved (such as in housing or health) or where multiple producers are publishing statistics on the same topic (such as income and earnings).

Across the Government Statistical Service (GSS), analysts are working together to improve the coherence of our statistics. There is a wide range of data sources and a vast amount of analysis being produced across government and the four UK nations. We must challenge ourselves not to simply publish a set of numbers but to explain how our data sources:

  • relate to each other
  • can be combined with other statistics to better explain the world

The UK Concordat on Statistics supports our coherence work across the UK. This is a jointly agreed framework for statistical collaboration between the UK Government and the devolved administrations for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS), the devolved administrations, and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) have been working together to join up data across the UK by creating new UK-wide data and analysis. These are in high-priority areas of shared interest across UK nations. These include:

  • understanding economic recovery post pandemic
  • cost of living
  • health
  • housing
  • social care
  • the environment
  • a broad range of other topics that are important across all countries of the UK

We have worked with producers of official statistics across the UK to produce a comprehensive work programme, which summarises the work underway on statistical theme topics and sets clear direction for future priorities. We want to make it easier for you, our users of our data and analysis, to see what work is being done to improve coherence across the UK, and also to provide an opportunity for you to give feedback.

Our work programme covers:

  • the teams across the GSS that are leading each coherence workstream
  • the main achievements in improving coherence from April 2022 to March 2023
  • the achievements and plans for coherence work from April 2023 to March 2024
  • how you can find out more about work in a particular area

Statisticians working in this topic area concentrate on improving the coherence and availability of Adult Social Care (ASC) statistics.

Who leads the coherence work

This work is led by the Four Social Care Group. The group is made up of members from:

  • the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC)
  • NHS England
  • the Department of Health Northern Ireland
  • the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
  • Scottish Government
  • Welsh Government

You can contact the Four Social Care Group by emailing Social.Care@ons.gov.uk.

Main achievements from April 2022 to March 2023

From April 2022 to March 2023, we:

We also provided new data on unpaid carers in England and Wales using 2021 Census data to produce the following publications:

Achievements and plans for April 2023 to March 2024

So far this year, we have continued to update our UK adult social care statistics landscape and Four Nations matrix. These contain figures, collection information, characteristics of data, and publication links to show how complex it can be to compare statistics across the four nations.

We plan to look at harmonising social care workforce definitions, with methods used by ONS and Social Care Wales

Further information

Read more about health and care statistics.

Read more about adult social care statistics.

Statisticians working in this topic area concentrate on improving the coherence and availability of crime statistics.

Who leads the coherence work

This work is led by:

  • the GSS Crime and Justice Working Group
  • the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Centre for Crime and Justice

The GSS Crime and Justice Working Group is made up of members from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and ONS.

You can contact the teams working in this topic area by emailing Crime.Statistics@ons.gov.uk.

Main achievements from April 2022 to March 2023

From April 2022 to March 2023, we:

Achievements and plans for April 2023 to March 2024

So far this year, we have:

We plan to:

  • continue developing and transforming the ONS Crime Survey to ensure we adapt to the changing circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic and improve availability of crime statistics
  • collate information on inequalities in victimisation and the crime experiences of non-household populations that are not captured by the CSEW

Further information

You can find more information about this topic area in the Improving crime statistics for England and Wales progress report.

Statisticians working in this topic area concentrate on improving the accessibility, breadth and quality of UK statistics on environment, climate and nature.

Who leads the coherence work

This topic will be led by a new Government Statistical Service (GSS) theme group. The group is chaired by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and vice-chaired by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

You can contact the teams working in this topic area by emailing GSS.Coherence@ons.gov.uk.

Main achievements from April 2022 to March 2023

From April 2022 to March 2023, we:

  • published four editions of Climate Change Insights — this analysis brings together statistics from across government by theme
  • enhanced the environment domain of the UK Measures of National Well-being dashboard using statistical indicators from across government
  • established regular engagement between the Public Attitudes team at the Department for Energy and Net Zero (DESNZ), and the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) team at the ONS — this has helped us better align survey data across departments on topics such as climate change and energy costs, and make better use of the OPN for short-term and ad hoc needs

Achievements and plans for April 2023 to March 2024

So far this year we have:

We plan to:

  • explore opportunities to work with colleagues across government on data projects through the Integrated Data Service (IDS) and a new climate change and net zero integrated data product
  • continue to develop a shared vision across Defra and ONS for environment statistics and data
  • continue to explore how the statistics and data produced across government can add new insights on the environment and how it interacts with our economy and society
  • incorporate more data sources with breakdowns at local authority level in our UK Natural Capital Accounts
  • make use of existing networks such as the Environmental Reporting Network and the new GSS theme group to facilitate discussion and share good practice on wider environmental reporting and statistics
  • finalise the mapping of Defra’s environmental reporting requirements and data flows — this includes identifying areas to improve the efficiency and coherence of Defra’s environmental statistics and data, and drawing on the ONS climate change statistical framework
  • develop new, refined sector definitions for Greenhouse Gas Inventories to provide improved coherence and alignment for users
  • continue to work with colleagues across government to improve and develop new measures on topics including green jobs and the low carbon and renewable energy economy

We also plan to continue work to review and map existing UK and country biodiversity indicators in response to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and its associated monitoring framework. This work is being led by:

  • the Joint Nature Conservation Committee
  • Defra
  • the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies
  • the devolved administrations

This review and mapping work will determine if these indicators are still fit for purpose to measure progress against the new GBF goals and targets. It will also help to align UK and country-level indicators to the GBF, identify what gaps exist, and propose the development of new indicators.

Further information

You can find up-to-date data on this topic area by looking at:

Statisticians working in this topic area concentrate on improving harmonisation, coherence, and accessibility of equality statistics across the UK particularly in relation to:

  • protected characteristics groups
  • people at greater risk of disadvantage
  • socioeconomic status
  • geography

Who leads the coherence work

This work is led by different teams within the Health Population and Methods Group at the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This work facilitates a joined up approach across the statistical system in responding to the recommendations of the Inclusive Data Taskforce (IDTF). This includes an implementation plan to improve data inclusivity across the UK statistical system.

You can contact the team by emailing Equalities@ons.gov.uk.

Achievements and plans for April 2023 to March 2024

So far this year:

  • the ONS Centre for Equalities and Inclusion has worked with stakeholders across the UK to establish a programme of work addressing critical equalities data gaps identified by the IDTF — this programme of work is outlined in the IDTF Implementation Plan
  • we have worked with the Cabinet Office Equality Hub on data-related actions from the Inclusive Britain report — in particular, this has involved consulting on standards for ethnicity data and engaging with people across different ethnic groups to better understand the language and terminology with which they identify

We plan to continue working with colleagues across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) to address prioritised equalities data gaps identified by the IDTF in a coherent way. This work will be informed by the National Statistician’s Inclusive Data Advisory Committee (NSIDAC).

Further information

Read more about the:

Statisticians working in this topic area concentrate on improving the harmonisation, coherence, and accessibility of health statistics across the UK.

Who leads the coherence work

This work is led by the:

  • Health Leadership Forum, which was formed in 2022
  • Cross-UK Data and Statistics Group
  • UK Health Statistics Steering Group (UKHSSG), which oversees several theme groups

These groups include statistical producers from across the UK. They include but are not limited to:

  • the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
  • the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID)
  • NHS Business Services Authority
  • NHS Digital
  • Public Health Scotland
  • Welsh Government
  • the Department of Health Northern Ireland
  • NHS England
  • the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
  • the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)

You can contact the teams working in this topic area by emailing GSS.Health@ons.gov.uk.

Main achievements from April 2022 to March 2023

From April 2022 to March 2023, we:

  • expanded the membership of the Health Statistics Steering Group to be UK-wide — members from the four UK nations now attend every meeting allowing progress on UK coherence to continue at pace
  • worked with the UKHSSG theme groups to improve knowledge-sharing across the four nations, and develop opportunities to improve UK-wide coherence
  • worked with the UKHSSG theme groups to encourage engagement with data users
  • redesigned the monthly Government Statistical Service (GSS) Health and Social Care newsletter to better meet user needs — this is helping organisations across the health sector to stay informed of important updates
  • continued to develop the health and care interactive tool, which compiles all official statistics relating to health and care for England — this makes it easier for users to find related publications from across government

Achievements and plans for April 2023 to March 2024

So far this year, we have created a new team in ONS to further support efforts to improve coherence and, where feasible, produce UK-wide data. We will begin by concentrating  on six priority areas:

  • ambulance waiting times
  • A&E waiting times
  • NHS Staff
  • referral to elective waiting times
  • NHS Experience
  • cancer wait times

Our aim is to publish outputs from this work in late 2023 to spring 2024.

We have also:

  • reviewed priorities for coherence in health and explored how to progress these — this includes setting up two new UKHSSG theme groups (NHS Experience and NHS Workforce) and reviewing the structure of the current theme groups and seeking feedback on proposals to improve how the theme groups work
  • continued working with the UKHSSG theme groups to scope out opportunities to develop UK-wide coherence within their themes as well as to communicate plans and progress
  • facilitated user engagement by improving communication tools such as StatsUserNet and promoting user groups to encourage engagement and input from a diverse range of users
  • supported work to better understand stakeholders and share guidance to support colleagues to develop stakeholder maps

Further information

Read more about health and care statistics.

Statisticians working in this topic area concentrate on finding opportunities for the four countries of the UK to work together on housing, homelessness and planning statistics, to provide a coherent overview of the UK housing landscape.

Who leads the coherence work

This work is led by the Government Statistical Service (GSS):

  • Housing Statistics Working Group
  • Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Statistics Working Group
  • Housing Steering Group
  • Private Rental Sector Working Group

You can contact the teams working in this topic area by emailing GSS.Housing@ons.gov.uk.

Main achievements from April 2022 to March 2023

From April 2022 to March 2023, we:

Achievements and plans for April 2023 to March 2024

So far this year ONS has published:

We plan to continue working with analysts across the GSS to improve the statistical coherence of housing and homelessness statistics. This will increase the value of these statistics to inform current public policy and debate.

Further information

Read more about housing, homelessness and planning statistics.

Read about the cross-government housing, homelessness and planning work programme.

Statisticians working in this topic area concentrate on improving the coherence and accessibility of income and earnings statistics across the Government Statistical Service (GSS).

Who leads the coherence work

This work is led by the:

  • GSS Income and Earnings Coherence Steering Group
  • Office for National Statistics (ONS) Local and Coherence Division

The GSS Income and Earnings Coherence Steering Group is made up of members from:

  • the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
  • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
  • ONS

You can contact the teams working in this topic area by emailing GSS.Income.Earnings@ons.gov.uk

Main achievements from April 2022 to March 2023

From April 2022 to March 2023, we:

Producers have also continued to provide a range of analysis on priority topics including:

Achievements and plans for April 2023 to March 2024

So far this year we have:

Further information

Read more about income and earnings statistics.

Statisticians working in this topic area concentrate on providing high quality international migration statistics and insights. They do this by using the most up-to-date and accurate data available to produce outputs that are relevant, coherent, and timely.

Who leads the coherence work

This work is led by:

  • the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Centre for International Migration
  • the Home Office
  • the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
  • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)

You can contact the teams working in this topic area by emailing POP.Info@ons.gov.uk.

Main achievements from April 2022 to March 2023

From April 2022 to March 2023, we:

Achievements and plans for April 2023 to March 2024

So far this year, we have worked with Home Office, DWP, and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) to publish a Quality Assurance of Admin Data (QAAD) report on government administrative data sources that are inputs to long-term international migration statistics.

We plan to:

  • agree with Home Office to produce Exit Checks data within the Integrated Data Service (IDS) which allows for further data linkage and analysis
  • continue the established publication cycle of migration statistics to ensure consistent outputs that can be used across GSS and beyond
  • work with colleagues across government departments, through the GSS Steering Group, and secondment programmes between ONS and the Home Office and ONS and DWP — this will help us better understand and align migration statistics
  • work with Other Government Departments (OGDs) on census migration articles
  • link HMRC data with Home Office data to understand difference in incomes by visa type

Further information

Read about the population and migration statistics system transformation project.

Read updates about the population and migration statistics system transformation project.

Statisticians working in this topic area concentrate on improving coherence and reducing trade data gaps across the four nations of the UK.

Who leads the coherence work

This work is led by:

  • the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)
  • the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)
  • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
  • the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
  • the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)
  • Scottish Government
  • Welsh Government

You can contact the teams working in this topic area by emailing Global.Trade.&.Investment@ons.gov.uk.

Main achievements from April 2022 to March 2023

From April 2022 to March 2023 we:

  • continued the transformation of UK trade and investment statistics in areas such as UK interregional trade and trade asymmetries — this transformation work is helping to improve trade data cohesion between the four UK nations and internationally
  • analysed trade in services data to identity possible causes of asymmetries — this included establishing an international working group on asymmetries and ongoing engagement with other national statistics institutes and data compliers worldwide to improve the international coherence of trade in services statistics
  • made further improvements to the Annual International Trade in Services Survey — this involved including the transport sector and improvements in cohesion with the international standard Extended Balance of Payments Services (EBOPS) classification, with publishable outputs expected after 2025

Achievements and plans for April 2023 to March 2024

So far this year we have:

ONS plans to publish a user guide on international trade data and related asymmetries. This guide aims to bring together information on trade asymmetries and signpost to available resources to help users to easily access the information they need.

Welsh Government plans to consider how the sampling of the Trade Survey for Wales could be more coherent with other devolved administration trade surveys. Welsh Government are working with the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) and Scottish Government on this.

Further information

You can find more information about this topic area by emailing Global.Trade.&.Investment@ons.gov.uk.

The ONS, devolved administrations and relevant departments have been working together to create new UK-wide data in high-priority areas of shared interest across UK administrations. This section brings together all of the UK-wide coherence projects and may include some initiatives that are already covered in previous sections.

Who leads the coherence work

This work is led by the ONS Local and Coherence division and other teams across ONS, through regular engagement with:

  • the devolved administrations
  • the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)
  • the Government Statistical Service (GSS) Heads of Profession and Directors of Analysis

Governance of cross-UK coherence statistical work is through the Inter-Administration Committee (IAC), which is chaired by the National Statistician.

A UK-wide evidence and analysis steering board aims to improve access and use of data, evidence, and analysis across the UK. The steering board is chaired by the Director of Analysis at DLUHC.

Main achievements from April 2022 to March 2023

From April 2022 to March 2023, we:

Achievements and plans for April 2023 to March 2024

So far this year, ONS teams have:

  • developed an experimental methodology for producing UK interregional trade estimates for the UK nations and English regions using trade survey data from each country — the new experimental estimates are expected to be produced in late 2024
  • worked with the UK Health Statistics Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet theme group and produced a comparability matrix comparing the methods and definitions currently used for producing adult and childhood obesity prevalence statistics across the four nations — this is available on request by emailingGSS.Health@ons.gov.uk
  • published new UK-level experimental estimates of green jobs using the industry approach, and analysis of new data from green job questions asked on the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey at GB level
  • extended our housing purchase affordability statistics for 2022 to now include comparable datasets for Northern Ireland — the housing purchase affordability statistics provide an analysis of the ratio of house prices to annual disposable household incomes

We plan to:

  • continue working with the devolved administrations to publish new comparable UK-wide statistics for the number of young people ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’ (NEET)
  • continue working with the devolved administrations and DLUHC to agree and create further new UK-wide data during 2024 in high-priority areas of shared interest across the four nations

Further information

You can ask for more information about this topic area by emailing GSS.Coherence@ons.gov.uk or UK.Wide.Data.Coherence@ons.gov.uk.

Further resources

There are many partnerships and resources across the GSS on statistical coherence.

There are several resources we would recommend looking at to develop your understanding of statistical coherence, including:

  • the coherence insight report produced by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) in 2019 — this report concentrates on coherence and outlines a framework to support analysts when developing statistics and analysis
  • the coherence user research work — this report contains the findings from a series of qualitative interviews with data users about the challenges and opportunities they experience when bringing together government data
  • the UK Concordat on Statistics — this is a jointly agreed framework to guide the UK Government, and the Northern Ireland, Scottish, and Welsh Governments when they work together on statistical projects
  • the Code of Practice for Statistics — the code states that producers must demonstrate that they do not simply publish a set of numbers, but that they explain how they relate to other data on the topic, and how they combine with other statistics to better explain the part of the world they describe
  • the National Statistical blog post ‘Embedding joined up insight across UK statistics’ discusses and summarises recent achievements and other statistical work taking place in this area

Contact us

For general questions about statistical coherence, please email GSS.Coherence@ons.gov.uk.

For questions about a specific statistical topic please use the contact details given in the relevant section of this workplan.