Release practice policy
Published 22 April 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policies-and-procedures-relating-to-dwp-official-statistics/release-practice-policy
Purpose
All Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) official statistics are produced and published in line with the Code of Practice (the Code), regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).
The framework for the Code of Practice for Statistics is based on 3 principles:
- trustworthiness – having confidence in the people and organisations that produce statistics and data
- quality – using suitable data and appropriate methods that produce assured statistics
- value – producing statistics that benefit the public by informing and supporting decision making, action and debate
Trustworthiness includes standards on being transparent about your approach to the orderly release of statistics in a published release practice policy.
Delivering statistics in DWP
There are around 40 regular official statistics products and over 100 releases made by DWP each year. This includes statistics from administrative data, the delivery of the Family Resources Survey and associate outputs, such as the statutory poverty statistics and reporting on fraud and error in the benefit system.
The delivery and release of these official statistics follow a standard process.
Standard process for managing official statistics publications
Official statistics are produced to serve the public good and provide accountability over areas of departmental responsibility, policy decisions and the operational implementation of policy. This provides transparency and public record to give users confidence that our statistics are of public value, are high quality and are produced by people and organisations that are worthy of trust.
The statistical process
The statistical process follows 4 stages from development to release, with engagement running through each stage.
Stage 1: develop
The requirement for a new statistical series or development to an established official statistic will come from within the department and public interest. The statistical work programme brings together developments and changes that are underway across all official statistics.
Stage 2: announce
Official statistics are pre-announced through a 12 month statistics release calendar, giving a specific release date at least 4 weeks ahead of publication.
A list of DWP official statistics with details on content and frequency can be found in the statistical work programme .
Stage 3: pre-release
Before the statistics are published, there is a 24 hour pre-release window during which the statistics in their final form can be shared with officials who meet justification set out in the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008. This permits early access to statistics for a role:
- responsible for making an immediate public statement or answering questions publicly
- for which it is required to provide briefing
There is an expectation in the Code that this access is kept to a minimum, with all business cases approved by the chief statistician. This list is confirmed ahead of all releases and published in the pre-release access list.
Stage 4: release
All DWP official statistics are published online and released at 9:30am on a weekday (Tuesday to Friday).
Contact information
Contact DWP by email at statistics.hopsupport@dwp.gsi.gov.uk.