The UK Statistics Authority wrote to Michael Shanks MP about Waiting times in England and Scotland
The letter, dated 13 January 2026, replies to correspondence of 20 November 2025. A reply dated 28 April 2026 is published alongside it. The UK Statistics Authority published it as Penny Young to Michael Shanks MP: Waiting times in England and Scotland
; it links to 4 official records. Below are 4 passages from the letter in the regulator's own words.
What the UK Statistics Authority wrote
“We consider that the change to waiting times calculations in its official statistics complies with the Code of Practice for Statistics, is appropriate, and supports user understanding.”
“In relation to the third claim, sources for the numbers were not cited together with the post on X.com as we would normally expect under the Standards for the Public Use of Statistics, Data and Wider Analysis.”
“Due to these differences, the ONS and producers of health statistics across the UK are clear that their data cannot be used to make direct comparisons of waiting lists between nations in this way.”
“But to uphold public confidence in statistics, we encourage you to ensure statements containing statistics are presented clearly and with sufficient context to avoid the potential for people to be misled.”
From Penny Young, Deputy Chair, UK Statistics Authority, letter of 13 January 2026. Read the full letter.
Records the letter links to
- new guidance on calculating waiting times
- reasonable offers of appointments
- ONS published work on the UK comparability of waiting times statistics in July 2024
- their data cannot be used to make direct comparisons
Correspondence
- The letter it answered: Kevin Stewart MSP to Penny Young – waiting times in England and Scotland (20 November 2025)
- Published reply: Letter from Seamus Logan MP to Penny Young – waiting times in England and Scotland (28 April 2026)
Related key figures
More on Michael Shanks.
Receipt
| Read from | https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence/penny-young-to-michael-shanks-mp-waiting-times-in-england-and-scotland/ |
|---|---|
| Date read | 15 October 2026 |
| SHA-256 | d7ad76d664f79f52dd9951130953b2d595599e72587612e428e106967b04ba6a |