Clause 20
Statistics and Registration Service Bill
Public Bill Committees, 23 January 2007, 6:00 pm
John Healey (Financial Secretary, HM Treasury; Wentworth, Labour)
Clauses 20 and 21 are important because they enable the board to undertake valuable activities, currently undertaken by the ONS, that are generally and necessarily widely known. Clause 20 allows the board to provide the range of services that the ONS currently provides. For example, it will be able to provide
“information, advice and technical assistance”
to outside bodies, including statistical agencies in developing countries. Under the clause, the board will also be able to undertake valuable statistical surveys and analyses on behalf of others as the ONS currently does.