The Government Statistical Service (GSS) is the community of all civil servants in the United Kingdom who work in the collection, production and communication of official statistics. It includes not only

statisticians A statistician is a person who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. It is common to combine statistical knowledge with expertise in other subjects, and statisticians may ...

, but also economists, social researchers, IT professionals, and secretarial and clerical staff. Members of the GSS work in the

Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament. Overview The ONS is responsible for ...

, most

UK Government departments The Government of the United Kingdom is divided up into departments. These, according to the government, are responsible for putting government policy into practice. There are currently 23 ministerial departments, 20 non-ministerial departments ...

, and the devolved administrations. The GSS publishes around 2,000 sets of statistics each year, as well as providing professional advice and analysis to decision-makers. The National Statistician is the Head of the GSS. The Government Statistician Group (GSG) is a subset of the GSS, and is the community of

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

government statisticians who meet the standards for statistical qualifications and competence set by the National Statistician's Office.

History

The GSS was formed in 1968, in response to a series of recommendations made by Claus Moser, director of the Central Statistical Office, who recognised that 'society was going through radical changes, and social and economic policy was being made on incorrect and out of date statistics. Data was not being shared efficiently across government delaying its use in decisions. There was duplication of work in some areas and gaps in others. It lacked a joined-up approach across government.'

References

External links

GSS websiteGSS homepage on gov.uk
Statistical organisations in the United Kingdom Civil Service (United Kingdom) 1968 establishments in the United Kingdom {{statistics-stub