Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Goal posts being shifted again

Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked HMG why there has been a "further" delay in the publication of the Pink Book, a.k.a. the United Kingdom Balance of Payments. Lord Wallace of Saltaire called upon Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to reply:
The 2011 Pink Book was initially scheduled for publication on 1 November 2011. On 29 September, after consultation with key users, the ONS announced a modification to the timetable for various publications, including the Pink Book. The ONS announced that the Pink Book would be delayed until 23 November. The full announcement can be read at: http://www.ons. gov.uk/ons/media-centre/statements/national-accounts-publication-timetable.html.

The delay to the timetable was announced to ensure that the ONS could fully implement significant changes in the 2011 edition of the UK national accounts-the Blue Book. The changes included the introduction of a new industrial and product classification required by European Regulations SIC07 and CPA08 respectively, improved methods of deflation and some additional improvement in the financial services area. Because the balance of payments estimates for the UK are produced as an integrated part of the whole national accounts, these changes had an impact on the Pink Book timetable.
Or, in plain English, they are shifting the goal posts again.

2 comments:

  1. OT (sorry), but what do you know, Ian Duncan Smith is "going on the warpath" over the EU! And pigs are through the skies leaving pretty rainbows in their wake...

    http://blogs.channel4.com/michael-crick-on-politics/ids-seizes-the-europe-issue-again/330

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  2. Well, there was this dinner where IDS and Owen Paterson were supposed to warn the Boy-King that the eurosceptic Tories (all six of them) are getting restive and he had better put the increased guarantees or contributions to the IMF in order to bail out whoever is still around to the vote. As you say, those pigs are flying well tonight.

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