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Statistics and Registration Service Bill

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that introduction and am glad that he mentioned the Prime Minister’s Statement last week. Two policy announcements were made then, one of which related to 24 hours’ pre-release and the other to the confirmatory vote in the House of Commons—or that is what the Minister said, although I believe that the Statement said that the vote was by Parliament, thereby implying that the House of Lords could be included as well. Why has neither of those things appeared in amendments to the Bill? The Minister could easily have achieved that. Having said that, we of course welcome the Government’s conversion to our view that the Cabinet Office is a safer place for the Statistics Board and the transfer of the ONS therein. In particular, we had many debates about the resource squeezes put on the ONS and the forced relocation to Newport. These may not be completely avoided under new ownership, so to speak, but at least someone will speak for the Statistics Board in Parliament. I have one further question. I believe that the appointment of chairmen was announced in the name of the Treasury and that that process is proceeding. Is the Treasury or the Cabinet Office in the lead on that process?