FCDO statistics: statement on quality management approach
Updated 6 November 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-statistics-statement-on-quality-management/fcdo-statistics-statement-on-quality
This document sets out the FCDO’s approach to quality management in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics to support the code principles of trustworthiness, quality, and value and provide confidence in our statistical outputs.
The Code describes quality in terms of their fitness for purpose – that statistics are fit for their intended use. Quality is about using suitable data and appropriate methods to produce reliable statistics that meet user needs. Statistics should inform rather than mislead, and producers must uphold high standards of transparency and quality assurance.
Achieving good quality requires FCDO statisticians to use their skilled professional judgement on how to collect, prepare, analyse and publish statistics and data in a way that meets the needs of people who want to use the statistics. FCDO’s Chief Statistician/Head of Profession provides direction and assurance of published statistics, ensuring statistics align with the Code of Practice principles.
We will aim to:
- ensure our statistics are relevant and meet the need of users
- ensure our statistics are based on appropriate data and methods
- maintain clear channels of communication with our data suppliers to ensure we are aware of any changes to the data collection or processing system and fully understand its impact
- carry out proportionate independent quality assurance on our statistics and processes
- clearly communicate any uncertainty around data quality, including strengths and limitations of the statistics we produce
- comply with data protection requirements and best practice policies set out by the Government Statistical Service (GSS)
Further details on about how quality is managed for specific publications can be found in the relevant publication.
Follow up
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).
You are welcome to contact us directly by emailing CentralStatsHub@fcdo.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can email OSR on regulation@statistics.gov.uk or contact them via the OSR website.