ONS delivers ‘exciting data work that eases the burden on surveys’

Credit: Crown Copyright/Open Government Licence v3.0

As the UK’s statistics agency continues work on transforming and updating the public questionnaires through which it has traditionally gathered information, Sir Ian Diamond reflects on the ‘complex challenges’ faced

In an annual festive-period tradition, PublicTechnology sister publication Civil Service World recently published the latest edition of the annual perm secs round-up, in which , departmental heads and other leaders from across government reflected on 2024, their plans for Christmas, and prospects for the year ahead.

Click here to read more from a wide selection of Whitehall figures.

Sir Ian Diamond, the national statistician and head of the Office for National Statistics, lifts the lid on a period of major change for the organisation’s familiar public surveys.

What was your highlight of 2024?
My highlight has been the perseverance and innovation of ONS staff in providing solutions to some really complex challenges around measuring the economy and society. In a post-pandemic world, we have been able to do some super exciting work with admin data that eases the burden on our surveys and provides estimates in a more sustainable way. More recently, our One Big Thing Innovation Sprints have brought together colleagues from across government to deduce ways of providing more timely and granular data for the missions.

What was the hardest part of being a leader in 2024?
We are in the process of some major transformational changes on some of our most important surveys which, as expected, have brought up a wide range of new and unexpected challenges. I feel fortunate to work with so many committed colleagues who have pulled together to overcome these and identify innovative solutions to drive us forward towards our objectives.

What are the main challenges facing your organisation in the coming year?
We are steadfast in recognising the importance of providing high quality statistics on the economy, population, and broader society. The next year will require us to continue our transformation of this data using new methods and data and excellent collaboration both within and outside of ONS will be critical.

What was the best Christmas present you’ve ever given or received?
My favourite Christmas present is probably the one year my family sportingly allowed me to win the traditional family biathlon. It can be an all-encompassing job at times so I am always grateful to be able to spend some quality time with family over the festive period with our rather unusual family traditions.