HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Statement by HM Treasury regarding the release of information by Reuters on Friday 24 October 2003 [November 2003]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 5 November 2003.

Following the statement of 24 October by the Office for National Statistics, the Treasury confirms that the premature publication by Reuters of the September retail sales figures arose because the information was obtained improperly by a Reuters trainee journalist from a junior Treasury official, without the knowledge of that official.

Reuters accepts that information improperly obtained should not have been published and have apologised for doing so.  For its part, the Treasury views this incident extremely seriously and is rigorously examining all its procedures to ensure that any repetition is avoided.  The Treasury’s Permanent Secretary has emphasised this point in discussions and correspondence with the National Statistician.