Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Monday, 4 June 2007.

Office for National Statistics: Relocation

Question: My Lords, if the Minister has such a high opinion of the Financial Times, will he reread rather more carefully the article about two weeks ago that expressed very serious concerns about the relocation, including those from the staff? The Minister mentioned risk-management strategy. Given that the great majority of the experts who run the cost of living statistics are not prepared to go to Newport, what exactly is the strategy to ensure that Britain’s cost of living statistics are not seriously damaged?

Answer: My Lords, the noble Lord has identified a very important range of statistics whose quality we need to guarantee. When I emphasise risk assessment, what is in place is a balance between the speed with which relocation can take place and the necessary expertise being available to the office to guarantee the statistics that the noble Lord has identified. The ONS is responsible for a range of other statistics, which other Members of this House would regard as equally significant.

Secondary information