MPs in knife crime figures quizzing

Feb 5 2009

The head of the statistics watchdog is set to face questions in a row over Home Office knife crime figures when he appears before a committee of MPs.

Sir Michael Scholar, chairman of the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA), will be quizzed by members of the Commons Public Administration Committee.

He severely rebuked the Government over the release of hospital stabbing data last year, calling it "premature, irregular and selective".

The unchecked figure, which appeared to show a fall in the number of teenagers treated for knife injuries, was released despite protests from Government statisticians.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith apologised to the Commons for being "too quick off the mark" in releasing the figure.

The UKSA later condemned the Home Office statistics bulletin released at the same time, claiming it made "unsubstantiated" claims and "selective" comparisons and drew "inappropriate conclusions".

The analysis detailed 10 separate ways in which the press release failed to comply with the Code of Practice for official statistics.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gordon Brown is meeting Richard Taylor, the father of 10-year-old Damilola Taylor who was killed in south London in 2000, to discuss the Government's ongoing efforts to tackle knife crime.