The ONS is aiming to reduce the number of outputs that it produces annually by around 10% in 2026.

Through the reduction plans, the ONS said it will reduce its publications in health analysis, other than statistics such as births, deaths and life expectancy, which form part of its core population outputs.

It will also review its broader work in crime statistics beyond the headline figures produced through the Crime Survey for England and Wales.

Additionally, the ONS is planning to reconsider what subnational statistics it produces – including the Annual Population Survey (APS), which has been the subject of recent quality concerns.

The ONS said it would cease collecting APS boost data in Scotland in January and will first contact key users to understand how APS data is being used.

The ONS said the changes would "free up staff for core quality improvement activity" and help to speed up its recovery work through its economic statistics and survey improvement plans. It said: "We will continue to closely engage our stakeholders across local and national government, academia, business and civil society, and ensure our statistics provide the greatest possible value to our end users."

Following issues with economic statistics, an independent review into the performance and culture of the ONS, published in the summer, found flaws in the way in which the organisation operates, as well as how it allocates funding. The review recommended that the ONS needed ‘a focused and consistent effort’ to improve core statistics.

Sir Robert Devereux, who conducted the review, also recommended new leadership for the ONS, with the roles of national statistician and permanent secretary temporarily separated. Darren Tierney was later appointed as permanent secretary of ONS in August 2025.

Other changes in response to the review have included appointing James Benford as director general for surveys and economic and social statistics, reducing analysis of statistics that is not directly linked to core statistics and redirecting analytical resource.

Tierney said: "Our top priority is restoring the quality of our core statistics, and we are already enacting the key recommendations from Sir Robert Devereux’s review.

"Today’s plans take us one step further, narrowing the focus of our portfolio and reducing the number of publications so we can devote resources to our improvement work, putting quality over quantity and working closely with users to rebuild trust."