Sir,

I hope I can reassure Ben Neild that the spirit of Social Trends is alive and well at the Office for National Statistics. Rather than a once a year publication, our current approach is to release new insights on topical issues as they arise. Recent examples are the  characteristics of children’s loneliness;  sexual offending and the path through the criminal justice system; deaths of homeless people; and an overview of barriers to working at older ages.

The form, content and timing of all that we publish remains the responsibility of statisticians and free from political interference.

John Pullinger

National Statistician (and former Editor, Social Trends)