Interview: ONS data science chief Tom Smith on government data capability

▤ Summary

Smith lauds the speech that Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove gave at Ditchley Park in July 2020, which staked out a high-level political and economic credo that took off, approvingly, from a quote – unusual for a Conservative politician – written in the 1930s by Antonio Gramsci, a founder of the Italian Communist Party. The Gove quote from that speech Smith refers to is this: “We need to ensure more policy-makers and decision-makers feel comfortable discussing the Monte Carlo method or Bayesian statistics, more of those in government are equipped to read a balance sheet and discuss what constitutes an appropriate return on investment, more are conversant with the commercial practices of those from whom we procure services and can negotiate the right contracts and enforce them appropriately.” Smith comments: “I think that Gove speech nails it, talking about the need for civil service, public sector skills to really strengthen around the areas of data science. It offers a range of training, from a full MSc in data analysis for government alongside graduate and apprenticeship programmes, to workshops and development schemes. This is a peer mentoring programme that pairs civil servants across departments to give them the opportunity to develop their data science skills. “It’s about leaders understanding, identifying and having the kind of backup, that goes back to the Gove quote, to be able to procure, support and grow the [data] capability of their departments and their agencies.”

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