Committee publication · Correspondence · 24 February 2026
Letter from Darren Tierney, Permanent secretary, Office for National Statistics on ONS update on progress and plans, dated 12.2.26
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Summary
Darren Tierney, ONS Permanent Secretary, updates the PACAC Chair on progress against four organisational priorities: implementing economic and survey improvement plans, cultural transformation, digital modernisation, and 2031 Census preparation. He reports structural overhaul, resource reallocation away from lower-priority activities, and improvements in economic statistics including Labour Force Survey sample sizes and planned integration of supermarket scanner data into inflation measurements.
Key findings
- ONS is reducing activity in health, international, subnational and local statistics portfolios to prioritise economic and population statistics aligned with organisational priorities
- Labour Force Survey achieved pre-pandemic sample sizes in 2025; Bank of England and OBR have publicly recognised improved confidence in these estimates
- In March 2026, supermarket scanner data will expand price points from 25,000 to 300 million in headline inflation statistics for more comprehensive grocery price measurement
- Domestic Abuse statistics achieved 'Accredited Official Statistics' status in October 2025; migration statistics moved to administrative data approach in November 2025
- 2031 Census will be 'digital first', incorporating administrative data and AI technology whilst maintaining accessibility for digitally excluded participants
Tone
FactualTopics
Key actors
Darren Tierney, Simon Hoare, Office for National Statistics, Bank of England, Office for Budget Responsibility, Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions
Notable line
“I am confident that we're now seeing green shoots of recovery in our day-to-day statistical production.”
Key Quotes
“I am confident that we're now seeing green shoots of recovery in our day-to-day statistical production.”
“In March, we will introduce supermarket scanner data into our headline inflation statistics, which will allow us to go from 25,000 price points collected from price collectors to 300 million price points directly from checkouts”
“The 2031 Census will introduce targeted improvements that make the best use of administrative data and modern technology, including the potential (and appropriate) use of AI”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗