The Code ofPractice for Official Statistics says ministers must "ensure that no statement or comment - based on prior knowledge - is issued to the press or published ahead of the publication of the statistics" and reminds them of their duty "to promote trust and maximise public value" of official data.
Sir Michael described the publication of the first figures as "irregular and inconsistent" with the UK Statistics Authority's code ofpractice and the Ministerial Code, and said it should not happen again.