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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
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| Statistics chief criticises leak of Home Office student migration report | Statistics chief criticises leak of Home Office student migration report |
| (about 12 hours later) | |
| Sir David Norgrove urges home secretary Amber Rudd to ban pre-release of official statistics to ministers and officials | |
| Alan Travis Home affairs editor | |
| Thu 31 Aug 2017 18.48 BST | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 17.43 GMT | |
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| The Home Office has launched a leak inquiry into how a “seriously misleading” account of an official report into student migration appeared in the press on the morning of the report’s publication. | The Home Office has launched a leak inquiry into how a “seriously misleading” account of an official report into student migration appeared in the press on the morning of the report’s publication. |
| The UK Statistics Authority chair has written to the home secretary, Amber Rudd, voicing strong concerns over the partial leak of the report to the Daily Telegraph last week, pressing her to ban the release of their official statistics to ministers and officials in advance of publication. | The UK Statistics Authority chair has written to the home secretary, Amber Rudd, voicing strong concerns over the partial leak of the report to the Daily Telegraph last week, pressing her to ban the release of their official statistics to ministers and officials in advance of publication. |
| Sir David Norgrove told Rudd that the Telegraph report, which claimed 97% of international students left the UK after their studies and that there were tens of thousands fewer immigrants in the country than previously thought, was seriously misleading. | Sir David Norgrove told Rudd that the Telegraph report, which claimed 97% of international students left the UK after their studies and that there were tens of thousands fewer immigrants in the country than previously thought, was seriously misleading. |
| “The main leak was to the Daily Telegraph. Whoever spoke to the journalist seems only to have half understood the data or inadequately communicated them. The result was seriously misleading, creating confusion where clarity was important,” he said. | “The main leak was to the Daily Telegraph. Whoever spoke to the journalist seems only to have half understood the data or inadequately communicated them. The result was seriously misleading, creating confusion where clarity was important,” he said. |
| “But a more accurate leak would still have been misleading, because it would have been partial (in all senses), and left the journalist and the public lacking context. The leak was the more damaging in view of the sensitivity of migration data.” | “But a more accurate leak would still have been misleading, because it would have been partial (in all senses), and left the journalist and the public lacking context. The leak was the more damaging in view of the sensitivity of migration data.” |
| The Home Office report published last Thursday said exit check data showed that 97% of non-EU international students left when their visas expired, but 20% extended their visas upon graduation for up to five years to work or for other reasons. | The Home Office report published last Thursday said exit check data showed that 97% of non-EU international students left when their visas expired, but 20% extended their visas upon graduation for up to five years to work or for other reasons. |
| An initial investigation by the Home Office into the leak has established that about 50 people were given access to the figures before the report’s publication. | An initial investigation by the Home Office into the leak has established that about 50 people were given access to the figures before the report’s publication. |
| The Office for National Statistics has recently ended its policy of pre-release access to official statistics for ministers and officials “in order to strengthen public trust”, and Norgrove pressed Rudd to follow suit. | The Office for National Statistics has recently ended its policy of pre-release access to official statistics for ministers and officials “in order to strengthen public trust”, and Norgrove pressed Rudd to follow suit. |
| The Royal Statistical Society’s chief executive, Hetan Shah, added to the pressure, saying: “This incident from the Home Office shows that the more you have pre-release access to statistics, the more likely those numbers will be leaked. The ONS has set a good example in ending the practice of people having early access to the numbers, and it is now time that the rest of government followed its lead, starting with the Home Office.” | The Royal Statistical Society’s chief executive, Hetan Shah, added to the pressure, saying: “This incident from the Home Office shows that the more you have pre-release access to statistics, the more likely those numbers will be leaked. The ONS has set a good example in ending the practice of people having early access to the numbers, and it is now time that the rest of government followed its lead, starting with the Home Office.” |
| The shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, accused the Conservatives of leaking the figures. “Under this Tory government, one of the great offices of state has been brought into disrepute,” she said. | The shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, accused the Conservatives of leaking the figures. “Under this Tory government, one of the great offices of state has been brought into disrepute,” she said. |
| “Whether it is letters being erroneously sent out to EU nationals in order to propagate Theresa May’s risible ‘hostile environment’, or leaked national statistics being used to mislead the British people about the shambles that is Tory immigration policy, ministers face some serious questions. | “Whether it is letters being erroneously sent out to EU nationals in order to propagate Theresa May’s risible ‘hostile environment’, or leaked national statistics being used to mislead the British people about the shambles that is Tory immigration policy, ministers face some serious questions. |
| “How can the public trust a word the Tories say on immigration when they feel the need to leak information to mask the failure of their policy?” | “How can the public trust a word the Tories say on immigration when they feel the need to leak information to mask the failure of their policy?” |
| The Home Office is not expected to change its policy on pre-release access. A spokesperson said: “The government has clear rules around pre-release access to official statistics and the Home Office followed these to the letter. | The Home Office is not expected to change its policy on pre-release access. A spokesperson said: “The government has clear rules around pre-release access to official statistics and the Home Office followed these to the letter. |
| “We have already submitted a report to the Office for National Statistics and we are committed to investigate this matter working with the UK Statistics Authority. It would be inappropriate to comment further.” | “We have already submitted a report to the Office for National Statistics and we are committed to investigate this matter working with the UK Statistics Authority. It would be inappropriate to comment further.” |
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