About the GSS

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.

Statisticians working in the GSS - called the Government Statistician Group (GSG) - 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.

GSS Strategy

The National Statistician sets out her vision for the Government Statistical Service (GSS) in the strategy document Building the Community. This important document sets the direction for the GSS up to 2020.

The vision is for statistics produced by a collaborative community, used in decision making and debate. We will focus on five key areas to help us achieve this vision – people, users, methods, impact and community.