Committee publication · Correspondence · 3 September 2025 · HC 847
Letter from Penny Young, Deputy Chair, UK Statistics Authority on follow-up after oral evidence on the work of the UK Statistics Authority, dated 21.8.25
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Summary
Penny Young, Deputy Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, provides follow-up information to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on matters raised during oral evidence on 1 and 8 July 2025. The letter addresses the Deputy Chair appointment process, Board effectiveness review, historical advisory groups, Parliamentary Questions handling procedures, devolved parliament accountability arrangements, and the Transformed Labour Force Survey.
Key findings
- Deputy Chair appointment: Board agreed to recommend Penny Young in June 2024, with formal Ministerial approval received in July 2025 after the general election; Authority acted as 'acting' Deputy Chair pending approval during pre-election period.
- Cabinet Office coordination: Authority raised NED recruitment campaign delays with Cabinet Office sponsor team during regular meetings; Sir Robert also raised the issue with Minister Gould in October 2024, with permission to restart campaign granted shortly after, resulting in appointments in January 2025.
- Economic Experts Advisory Group: established in August 2016 per Bean Review recommendation; met regularly until October 2021 but was not reconvened after that meeting; replaced by Economic Experts Working Group meeting four times annually.
- Parliamentary Questions: roughly half answered by Authority originate from Cabinet Office, half transferred from other departments; responses drafted by statistical teams, signed off by Deputy National Statistician, and may be reviewed by Cabinet Office Special Advisers before ministerial sight; Authority has sought clarification on two PQs where drafted letters were not used.
- Devolved parliament accountability: no formalised Select Committee arrangement equivalent to PACAC; Authority engages on request and proactively with devolved committees; lays Annual Report and Accounts in devolved parliaments; Board meets periodically in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Penny Young, UK Statistics Authority, Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Simon Hoare MP, Cabinet Office, Sian Jones, Sir Robert, Minister Gould
Notable line
“There is a longstanding convention that the Cabinet Office would not request amendments to 4 https://uksa.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/the-authority-board/committees/national-statisticians- advisory-committees-and-panels/ 5 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5eaa997dd3bf7f6523c81c1a/MoU_- …”
Key Quotes
“In June 2024, the UK Statistics Authority notified the Cabinet Office sponsor team of its intention to recommend me as Deputy Chair of the Board following Sian Jones' departure at the end of her term.”
“Board members agreed to appoint me the 'acting' Deputy Chair, pending Ministerial approval.”
“We received formal confirmation of Ministerial approval for the Deputy Chair appointment in July”
“The group did not meet in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it was not reconvened following the October 2021 meeting.”
“Roughly half of the PQs the Authority answer are originally tabled to the Cabinet Office (usually where the question directly mentions the ONS), and the other half are originally tabled to other Government Departments”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗