The power for the Welsh Ministers to make the Order before the Assembly this afternoon is contained in section 6(1)(b) of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. Section 65(7) of that Act makes it clear that the Welsh Ministers may not make the Order without approval by the Assembly. The purpose of the Order is to enable statistics produced or to be produced by the bodies listed to be designated as official statistics. Doing so means these statistics will then become subject to monitoring and reporting by the UK Statistics Authority. 

This Order-making power was first exercised by the Welsh Ministers in 2013 when five bodies were listed. This time, the Order is broader in scope and names an additional 14 bodies ranging across different sectors. Some of them have come into existence since 2013, when the original Order was made. All 14 bodies have agreed to be named in the Order. It is not our expectation, Dirprwy Lywydd, that all the bodies listed will publish official statistics immediately. The Order enables them to publish data as official statistics when they consider it appropriate and they have the robust arrangements in place to do so. 

Official statistics provide a window on our society, inform decision making and enable the public to hold Government to account. This Order ensures greater consistency in the publication of statistics and a demonstration here in Wales of the Office for Statistics Regulation's principles of trustworthiness, quality and value across a wider range of public authorities. I hope the Assembly will support the Order this afternoon.