Official Statistics

Official statistics are defined in section 6 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 as statistics produced by the UK Statistics Authority (known legally as the Statistics Board), by government departments including executive agencies, by any other person acting on behalf of the Crown and any other person or body identified by ministers in an Official Statistics Order.

SEPA was specified as a provider of Official Statistics under the Official Statistics (Scotland) Amendment Order 2010. As such, it has to work towards compliance with a Code of Practice (the Code) published by the UK Statistics Authority. The Code is a requirement of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

The UK Statistics Authority assesses the compliance of Official Statistics produced by public bodies (such as SEPA) against the Code. Any Official Statistics assessed as being fully compliant are further designated as National Statistics. Bodies that produce National Statistics must ensure that the Code continues to be fully observed.

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