External submissions to johnson review of prices

You asked

Please can you give me, and publish on your website, all papers, submissions, emails and other correspondence received by the review team, from internal and external individuals, bodies and groups, as part of the review. Please also include the dates of all meetings, conference calls and similar exchanges held by review team staff with any persons from outside the ONS, and notes made from the meetings.

We said

The Authority has published the following documentation in response to your request:

1. Calendar of meetings

2. Stakeholder engagement strategy

3. Notes of meetings with:

   a. HM Treasury
   b. the ONS field-force
   c. the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills;
   d. the Department for Transport
   e. the Department for Work and Pensions; and
   f. the Ministry of Defence

4. Advice and contributions submitted by:

   a. the Debt Management Office
   b. the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills
   c. the Department for Communities and Local Government;
   d. the Department for Work and Pensions
   e. the Office for Budgetary Responsibility
   f. the Valuation Office Agency

The Authority has chosen to exempt several documents under the following Sections of the Freedom of Information Act:

Section 29
This section exempts information the disclosure of which would prejudice the financial interests of the UK and/or administration within the UK. The documents concerned refer to gilts linked to ONS consumer price statistics. In deciding to use this exemption ONS considered the public interest test and whilst we recognise that there would be some public interest in these documents it is outweighed by the detrimental effect on the economy their release could have.

Section 36
Section 36(c) exempts information if its release is prejudicial to the effective conduct of public affairs. Mr Johnson and the review team spoke with a range of stakeholders, sometimes in public forums, sometimes in private meetings. We do not have the permission of all review participants to share their contributions.

Furthermore, delivering high-quality consumer price statistics requires that users are able to provide frank and free advice to ONS and the Authority. It is our view that releasing certain documents at this time may limit similar future discussion and the willingness of users to provide full and frank responses to the upcoming public consultation on consumer price statistics, therefore also engaging section 36(2)(ii)

To use this exemption we are required to consider the public interest test, and whilst we note there are public interest arguments in favour of transparency and disclosure we have decided that these are outweighed by the need to ensure a safe space for current and future discussions with government departments and other stakeholders.

As this case has involved the use of the S36 exemption, its use has been agreed by the National Statistician in his role as the “qualified person”.

Section 40
Personal information, constituting names of individuals, email addresses and telephone numbers, has been redacted from the attachments in accordance with s40(2) of the Act.