Guidance

User service statement

Updated 19 January 2023

This document sets out the service standards that users can expect from the Department of Transport (DfT). This includes how the department will engage with the users of our statistics and how users can contact us.

Users of statistics

To maintain the relevance of our statistical activities we use a variety of ongoing mechanisms to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of all our users.

We recognise that we will have users with differing needs, levels of technical proficiency and interests, as outlined in the ONS user personas. In the case of internal users within the DfT, engagement is mainly through direct contact, while external users may contact us via email, social media, or through user groups.

Our statistics are of interest to a range of users and stakeholders, including:

• the public
• parliament
• ministers and policy makers within the DfT and its agencies
• local authorities
• devolved administrations and other government users
• the transport industry
• special interest and pressure groups
• international organisations
• researchers and academics
• the media

User engagement

In DfT, we are making the following commitments to our statistical user engagement.

Continue our current engagement activities with our key user groups, including the:

• Transport Statistics User Group
• Central and Local (Government) Information Partnership (CLIP) - Transport Statistics (CLIP-TS) group, the main forum for discussion between central and local government on statistical matters

Ensure a common minimum standard that users can expect from all our publications, including a named statistician on every release, complete with email and telephone contact details through which they or their team can be reached.

Maintain our DfT statistics Twitter feed in addition to our Statistics at DfT pages on GOV.UK and our items on the cross-government Statistical Release Calendar.

Look to join up our engagement activities within the organisation by maintaining open dialogue across teams (including the DfT Press Office team), so no user should get caught between teams and unable to get a response to their enquiry.

Broaden membership of our existing user forums by continuing to promote them through our annual Transport Statistics Great Britain compendium publication.

Support the theme-based approach to engagement outlined in the user engagement strategy by maintaining strong cross-organisational links to other statistical producers who overlap with our areas of focus, such as other government departments, the devolved administrations, other transport bodies (for example, Office for Rail and Road) and the Office for National Statistics.

Encourage teams and individuals to broaden their engagement activity, particularly when statistical series are undergoing change.

Engage with those providing us with data, such as transport operators, to ensure that the way we present data also meets their user needs and they thus get value out of the burden that we place upon them.

Outputs

DfT will publish timely, relevant, high quality statistics in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

We will:

• publish our statistics on the time and date pre-announced
• publish our statistics in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics
• be transparent when we are unable to meet any of these commitments
• provide open and easy-to-use routes to allow users to supply us with their views and opinions
• respond quickly and accurately to questions and enquiries
• respond in a timely manner to any complaints

We will help users to understand and make the best possible use of our products by publishing supporting, background, or methodological information and material. This material will be placed within the relevant publications as appropriate.

Access to statistics – routine publications

Routinely produced statistics are available free of charge on the Statistics at DfT pages on GOV.UK.

In accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics, we will announce the month of release of these statistics at least 12 months in advance and the exact date at least 4 weeks in advance on the cross-government Statistical Release Calendar. All published statistics are published at 9.30am on the scheduled day unless otherwise announced.

Our statistics will be published in a timely manner and in line with:

• the statement of compliance on pre-release access
• the statement on quality policy and procedures
• the DfT statistical revisions policy
• the DfT internet accessibility policies

For ease of use and access our publications will be made available in 2 main formats:

• HTML publication
• ODS (OpenDocument Spreadsheet Document format)

Where publication in these formats is not possible or not yet available, alternative accessible formats will be used, and alternative formats can be requested.

Access to statistics not in scheduled publications

All statistical publications will contain a contact email address.

Media enquiries regarding the contents of a specific release should be directed to the DfT Press Office.

All other users should use the email address provided with the publication or by using the contact details for topics or the general email enquiry point.

When users require statistics not contained in existing DfT statistical publications, requests will normally be treated under the Freedom of Information Act. Our service in this will be compliant with the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act, and where information cannot be disclosed, then individuals will be advised of this fact in accordance with the FoI Act. More information can be found in the general policy on FoI requests.

Information on and developments to statistics

The DfT website publishes the statistical outputs that are planned for the next 12 months in a timetable which is updated monthly.

If you have any comments on our statistical program please send them to our general email address.

These comments will be considered in compiling our annual statistical work plan. You can also engage in user consultations through one of the user groups.

Instructions for printing and saving

Depending on which browser you use and the type of device you use (such as a mobile or laptop) these instructions may vary.

How to search

Select Ctrl and F on a Windows laptop or Command and F on a Mac

This will open a search box in the top right-hand corner of the page. Type the word you are looking for in the search bar and press enter.

Your browser will highlight the word, usually in yellow, wherever it appears on the page. Press enter to move to the next place it appears.

Tablets and mobile devices normally have the option to “find in text” and “print or save” in their sharing or quick options menu of their browser, but this will vary by device model.