Government Statistical Service

The Government Statistical Service (GSS) is a decentralised professional community spread across most UK government departments and devolved administrations. Headed by the National Statistician, the GSS produces National Statistics and other official statistics, analysis, interpretation and provides statistical advice to improve understanding and help decision-making.

The GSS collects, analyses and disseminates official statistics in order to meet the needs of government, business, and the public for trusted, authoritative, relevant and timely statistics, and related analysis and advice.

The GSS comprises of a network of civil servants who work in the Office for National Statistics (ONS), other Government Departments, and in the devolved administrations of Scotland and Wales. Although the equivalent staff in Northern Ireland are not part of the GSS, they work very closely with the GSS and share a common professional culture.

Within the GSS there is a body of around 1400 professional statisticians - called the Government Statistician Group (GSG) - which operate within a personnel framework administered by the National Statistician’s Office. This framework sets the standards for recruitment, qualifications, competence and training. Each government department has a Head of Profession for Statistics who is responsible for professional statistical matters and statistical staff working in their departments, and who is professionally accountable to the National Statistician.