This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Measuring public sector productivity
28/06/2005
A strategy that will help deliver accurate measurement of public sector productivity in Scotland was published today.
The Scottish Executive set out its Scotland-focused strategy for the implementation of the UK Atkinson Review, which was published in January.
The strategy, which is expected to serve as a public statement of its intentions in this important area of statistics, sets out exactly how the principles and recommendations of the Atkinson Review will be taken forward by the Executive.
Drawing on the Atkinson Review, the aim of the strategy is to develop enhanced measures of public sector activity specifically for Scotland and to improve the measurement of Gross Domestic Product.
Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform Tom McCabe said:
"The Executive is committed to improving the delivery of public services and ensuring we spend taxpayers' money wisely. We are already making progress in measuring what we and the wider public sector do and this process will continue with our Efficient Government initiative.
"This strategy builds on the work done by the UK Atkinson Review and will introduce enhanced measures of public sector activity specifically for Scotland."
Reflecting increased governmental and public interest in measures of public sector outputs and performance, Sir Tony Atkinson was asked by the National Statistician (Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics) in December 2003 to undertake an independent review of the future development of measures of government output, productivity and associated prices indices - recognising important related factors, such as the quality of outputs - for the UK national accounts.
Sir Tony published his interim findings in July 2004 and his final report in January 2005. The Final Report of the Atkinson Review makes 54 specific recommendations, which cover:
- the economic principles of the Review
- methodology with respect to inputs and outputs
- the implementation process.
More than one-third of the total recommendations make some reference to work that is expected to be advanced jointly between the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Devolved Administrations.