Guidance

Defra group Pre-release access to Official Statistics compliance statement

Defra group Pre-release Access to Official Statistics: Statement of Compliance.

Documents

Details

Defra (the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs), with its Arms’ Length Bodies (ALBs), follows the requirements set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics (the Code) when publishing our statistics.

This statement sets out our operational arrangements for also implementing the separate requirements of the Pre-Release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008 (the Order). These statutory rules primarily allow for giving relevant ministers, and a limited number of designated officials, access to official statistics once in their final form prior to publication.

The arrangements are designed to ensure that such Pre-release access (PRA) is justified, limited, controlled and publicised and complies with statutory requirements. The purpose is to maintain public confidence in the integrity of official statistics while allowing ministers to comment immediately on the implications of statistics covering policy or operational areas for which they are responsible.

This compliance statement applies directly to statistics teams in the core Department. The arrangements may also be adopted by our sponsored ALBs if they wish to do so in preference to publishing their own arrangements. It should be clearly stated on each ALBs website which compliance statement they follow.

How to contact us

General enquiries

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Telephone (from outside the UK) +44 20 7238 6951

The quickest way to get a response is to call our Helpline which is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm (find out about call charges at www.gov.uk/call-charges), alternatively you can email us.

We aim to respond to queries within 20 working days, however due to the current volumes of correspondence we are receiving there could be a significant delay.

Published 6 August 2020