Compliance with Code of Practice for Statistics
Updated 27 April 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/air-quality-statistics/statement-of-compliance-with-code-of-practice-and-recent-changes-to-the-publication
National Statistics
Air quality statistics in the UK, 1987 to 2022 – Compliance with Code of Practice for Statistics
Updated 27 April 2023
1. National Statistics Status and recent changes to this publication
National Statistics status means that our statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value, and it is our responsibility to maintain compliance with these standards.
In 2018 and 2019, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) carried out an assessment of these statistics and the related publication ‘Air quality statistics in the UK’ against the Code of Practice for Statistics. Their report was published in July 2019. The report recommended continued designation of these statistics as National Statistics once Defra had met six Requirements detailed in the report, with a deadline of May 2020 for meeting the majority of the requirements. In July 2020, the OSR confirmed continued designation of both publications as National Statistics following the implementation of the requirements outlined in the assessment report.
Air quality in the UK is an annual publication that provides an overview of the concentrations of air pollutants (measured using the national monitoring network: the Automatic Urban and Rural Network) considered most damaging to human health and the environment. Since the last assessment of these statistics in 2019, we have continued to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
Defra keep all National Statistics under review and seek to make changes periodically to meet the needs of users. We welcome feedback and any thoughts to improve the publication further. Please answer 3 short questions to help us make the publication more valuable to you. You can send your feedback to Enviro.Statistics@defra.gov.uk. Some example questions are given below to help you structure your feedback, but all feedback is welcome:
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How relevant is the current content of the publication to your needs as a user? What purpose do you require the data for?
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What data related to concentrations of air pollutants would you find most useful for the Government to provide in a statistical publication?
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Is there any content that you did not find useful?
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Do you have any additional suggestions for further development of this release; including what it should cover and opportunities for further innovation in analysis and presentation?
2. Compliance with Defra Group Statistics Quality Statement
Defra group (that is: core Defra, Forestry Commission, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies) published a set of principles that producers of statistics should adhere to, with the aim of ensuring quality is a central consideration when producing official or National Statistics.
There is significant overlap between the Quality Statement and the Code of Practice for Statistics. These statistics aim to comply with both sets of requirements.
User engagement has been an ongoing challenge for statistics products across Defra. Defra group has produced a User Engagement Policy Statement which outlines some of the methods recently implemented by the air quality and emissions statistics team to improve engagement with users. The team invites feedback on the publication via email and raises awareness of the release through the ‘@DefraStats’ Twitter account. Later this year, we will release and promote a short survey to identify new users and promote the release to a variety of stakeholders. The Air quality statistics GOV.UK homepage will be used to make any announcements of future changes to the content or structure of the releases.
Internal peer review is conducted on the statistical release prior to publication and follows internally documented peer review processes: the Lead Statistician (Ellie Martell) has responsibility for ensuring these processes are followed and any mistakes are addressed in line with Defra’s revisions and corrections policy.
3. Sections in this release
Background to concentrations of air pollutants
Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide
Concentrations of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5)
Days with ‘Moderate’ or higher air pollution (includes sulphur dioxide)