You asked
Please can you let me have any (internal or published) documents (including letters and emails) that note, discuss or list the different actual or potential uses of the different inflation indices such as RPI, RPIX, CPI and so on?
We said
Thank you for your request.
Please find all documents in scope of your request in the associated downloads.
Some of the information has been withheld under s.40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000 as it personal information. Please also note that this is the only exemption applied to the documents provided. Any other redactions within these documents are for information deemed out of scope of the request.
Some additional documentation has been withheld in full using the exemptions found in sections 36(2)(b) and (c) of the Act.
S.36(2)(b) - relates to withholding information if the disclosure would, or would likely inhibit, the free and frank provision of advice and the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation. Officials from the ONS, UKSA, and OSR and other government departments need a safe space so that such exchanges on policy matters are protected. It is the view of the National Statistician that releasing certain information would prejudice the candour and openness involved in providing such advice and views, and in this instance would have a chilling effect on such exchanges in the future.
S.36(2)(c) - related to withholding information if the disclosure would otherwise prejudice, or would be likely to prejudice, the effective conduct of public affairs. The release of information engaging this exemption would have an adverse effect on our ability to offer effective contributions to government policies. We need to be able to consult, and be consulted by other government departments to obtain honest and open views around the different uses of inflation indices.
The use of the exemption is subject to a public interest test. The main arguments in favour of disclosure are transparency and public accountability. RPI and inflation measures are currently very much in the forefront of public debate and is highly reported in the media, so there is certainly an element of public interest.
Arguments in favour of withholding are ensuring we are able to complete our statutory functions efficiently, which include the production of statistics in relation to inflation measures. We also need to ensure we have a safe space for current and future discussions with internal and external stakeholders on subjects relating to inflation measures and that the quality of advice provided in the course of deliberations is maintained. It would not be in the public interest for one of the key functions of the UKSA to be undermined in such a way that officials are no longer comfortable contributing to decisions around market sensitive subjects. In this instance, we feel that the weight of the public interest is in favour of withholding the information.
As we have applied the s.36 exemption, its use has been agreed by the National Statistician in his role as a 'qualified person'.