Documents relating to meetings between Sir Ian Diamond and Darren Morgan regarding the Labour Force Survey

FOI reference: FOI-2025-2597

You asked

Please can you share any minutes, emails, documents or slides relating to meetings between Sir Ian Diamond and Darren Morgan in October 2023 discussing issues with the Labour Force Survey. 

We said

Thank you for your request.  

We have conducted a search of documentation related to meetings that took place internally between Sir Ian Diamond and Darren Morgan regarding issues with the Labour Force Survey in October 2023. We have also included meetings where Sir Ian met with Darren with other ONS colleagues present.  

The information located in scope can be found in the associated document named, ‘FOI-2025-2597 – documentation in scope’. 

Please be aware that the dates provided on the pages 1 and 77 are inaccurate. This is because the dates on the first slide of each PowerPoint presentation are linked to a live feed, which auto-updates the date whenever they are opened. We can confirm that these presentations were created and used in meetings in October 2023. 

Please note that the information in the slide decks represent information which was correct at the time (October 2023) and has now been superseded.  

All personal data except for names of senior colleagues has been redacted from this release under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), as the release of this information would not be compliant with data protection principles.  

The preliminary data presented in the slide decks is feeding into an ongoing programme of research – the Transformed Labour Force Survey (TLFS), from which a report will be published. Publication of preliminary data at this time would prejudice the TLFS project, as the data has been produced based on outdated methods and assumptions that have not been thoroughly examined and tested by peer review. We require time and space to ensure that any findings or research outcomes from this project present a complete and accurate picture with the necessary context and explanations accompanying the data. This objective would be prejudiced if the data in the slide decks are released at this time.  

Therefore, the data referenced has been redacted, as it is exempt from release under Section 22A (b)(i) and (b)(iii), whereby the information requested was obtained in the course of conducting an ongoing programme of research, which we have a view to publish, and release prior to our planned schedule would prejudice the research programme itself and the organisation conducting the research. 

Some information has been also redacted under Section 22, as it will be published in the future.  

Section 22 and 22A are both subject to a public interest test. We recognise the desirability of information being freely available and this is considered by ONS when publication schedules are set in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The need for timely data must be balanced against the practicalities of applying statistical skill and judgement to produce the high quality, assured data needed to inform decision-making, which requires time and space. If this balance is incorrectly applied, then we run the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate data, which is not in the public interest. This will have an impact on public trust in statistics in a time when the accuracy of statistics is more important to the public than ever before.