Standard

Skills England: pre-release access to official statistics

Published 27 November 2025

Applies to England

The Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008 applies to all official statistics produced by Skills England.

The Office for Statistics Regulation defines official statistics as statistics produced by Crown Bodies (government organisations) and other organisations on behalf of the UK government and devolved administrations. Official statistics provide a factual basis for assessment and decisions on economic, social and environmental issues at all levels of society.

In this statement, the phrase ‘pre-release access’ refers to privileged access to statistical releases in their final form, before they are available in the public domain. It does not refer to the separate access available to officials who:

• produce and publish the statistics in question (including those responsible for managing this process)
• are asked to quality assure the statistics before their public release
• publish associated reports or statistics that cannot be produced without advance access (for example, reports published on the same day as the statistics in question)

This statement sets out how Skills England gives ministers and officials access to our official statistics 24 hours before they are published.

People included in pre-release access lists

Pre-release access to official statistics must be limited to the minimum number of people necessary to allow ministers or officials to:

• respond to questions or make statements at the time of publication
• take action before or at the time of publication

Pre-release access is not the default. Access is allowed only in circumstances where the public benefit is likely to outweigh the possible detriment to public trust in official statistics and individuals satisfy the requirements laid out in the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008.

Skills England publishes the job titles and organisations of everyone who has been granted pre-release access alongside the statistical releases.

Grant of pre-release access

Pre-release access is only granted to people who meet the eligibility criteria. They include:

• ministers
• heads of government departments
• officials accountable for government policy to which the statistics have direct relevance
• officials accountable for the provision of public services for which the statistic has direct relevance
• press officers responsible for managing communications with the media about the policy or statistics in question (plus any immediate supporting staff)

Period of access

Pre-release access to Skills England’s official statistics is restricted to a maximum of 24 hours before publication. Skills England’s statistical releases are published at 9:30am.

In exceptional circumstances, the Lead Official for Statistics, in consultation with others, may grant pre-release access for more than 24 hours before public release if, in their opinion, the public benefit outweighs the possible detriment to public trust.

When this happens, the Lead Official for Statistics will publish their reasons for granting extended access and will inform the UK Statistics Authority’s chief executive (the National Statistician) and the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

Conditions of access

The people who are given pre-release access to Skills England’s official statistics must keep the statistics secure and confidential until their release (under embargo) and they must abide by certain conditions of access. They must avoid:

• disclosing the statistics, or any part of a publication containing them, to anyone not listed as a pre-release recipient
• providing any indication of either absolute levels or trends revealed by the statistics
• using their access for personal gain or political advantage
• misusing their access to change the content, presentation or timing of publication of official statistics

People who are granted pre-release access will sign a pre-release declaration confirming their agreement to the above.

Breach of the conditions

If the principles set out here are breached, the Lead Official for Statistics will follow the guidance on reporting concerns under the Code of Practice for Statistics by:

• notifying the National Statistician and the OSR
• taking action to prevent a recurrence
• promptly responding to requests for additional information

The National Statistician may decide to conduct an inquiry on behalf of the UK Statistics Authority, with assistance from the OSR, and publish the results on their website.

Sanctions against non-compliance

Skills England’s Lead Official for Statistics may withdraw, for a period of time, pre-release access from anyone judged to have breached the conditions.

A heavier sanction can be imposed by the UK Statistics Authority, which has a statutory duty to assess the extent to which any organisation’s national statistics comply with the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008, and the duties set out in this statement.

The Authority can, for instance, challenge an organisation where it considers that pre-release access is not justified or where an organisation is failing to conform to these arrangements.

It can also withdraw, or threaten to withdraw, the title of ‘accredited official statistics’ from the statistics in question. In the event of such a challenge or withdrawal, Skills England’s Lead Official for Statistics will publish Skills England’s response on GOV.UK along with plans for achieving compliance.