Karen Dunnell
Dame Karen Hope Dunnell,
Background
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (June 2016) |
Born Karen Hope Williamson in
Her father was a US serviceman during
Career
Karen Williamson studied sciences at school because she wanted to go into medicine. However, a growing interest in politics and society led her to study sociology at
This established a measure of morbidity and the relationship between medicines acquired through the NHS and over-the-counter.[3] Dunnell then joined the Department of Community Medicine, St Thomas's Hospital Medical School, London, working on multi-disciplinary projects alongside doctors, social scientists, statisticians and economists, including a major project that measured the cost of caring for people with severe disabilities in the community compared with the cost of caring for them in institutions.[3]
She joined the
In 1990, she moved from working with health surveys in the OPCS to medical statistics.
National Statistician
Karen Dunnell was appointed National Statistician and Director of the Office for National Statistics from 1 September 2005 at a time when the government was being criticised for the quality, credibility and uses to which it put the statistics generated both by ONS and by governments departments.
Controversy
A government policy inherited by Karen Dunnell as National Statistician aroused controversy. Following the efficiency reviews initiated by the Chancellor and Prime Minister (viz. Review of Public Sector Relocation by Sir
This relocation policy, together with substantial expenditure cutbacks in recent government spending settlements, resulted in disquiet among London-based staff whose representatives reported morale problems and a high staff turnover rate among staff still in London.[9] To set against the risks to data quality of any loss of expertise, especially among London-based staff who were unwilling to move, including analysts in National Accounts and in health statistics, Ms. Dunnell defended ONS implementation of government policy on civil service relocation. In the face of some Bank of England disquiet, reported in 2007 to the Treasury Select Committee, about risks to economic data quality, combined with opposition from London staff (including a lack of confidence in management expressed in a staff survey highlighted by staff unions), she asserted that the ONS Board had agreed a process of managed and gradual change to take account of these risks, building up expertise in Newport before shifting functions there. She also cited the benefits to the local economy, the skills of existing ONS staff in Newport and access to universities and other resources in the region as well as the benefits of operating key functions from a single location.[10]
Other roles
Outside the OPCS, Dunnell has been a member of the British Sociology Association and was on the committee of its BSA Medical Sociology Group. She later chaired the Society for Social Medicine. She is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, is a visiting professor at the London School of Hygiene.[11] She has been elected to a second term as a visiting fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford.[citation needed]
Dunnell was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree by Middlesex University in July 2008,[12] was appointed an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University in July 2009[13] and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath (DCB) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June 2009.[14][15]
References
- ^ a b "National Statistician – Director office for National Statistics" Archived 26 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, 10 Downing Street press release, 4 August 2005. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ a b "Veteran insider to run the ONS balancing act", The Times, 5 August 2005. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ S2CID 58347219.
- ISBN 0-7100-7351-8. OCLC: 632006.
- ^ Independent Review of public sector relocation Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, H. M. Treasury, 9 July 2004
- ^ Releasing resources for the frontline: Independent Review of Public Sector Efficiency Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, H. M. Treasury, 12 July 2004
- ^ "Fears for quality as statisticians scatter", Financial Times, 30 May 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ "ONS set to close down London HQ", BBC news report, 16 January 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
- ^ Evidence for Treasury Sub Committee Inquiry into the efficiency of the Chancellor’s Departments Archived 4 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine, written submission by the FDA (trade union), para. 2.2, 9 May 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ "Statistics officers get the measure of relocation", article by Karen Dunnell, Financial Times, 4 June 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "The National Statistician". Archived from the original on 12 September 2007. Retrieved 22 September 2007.
- ^ "Middlesex University awards Honorary Degrees – July 2008". Middlesex University. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
- ^ "Exceptional Individuals". Cardiff University. July 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "No. 59090". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 2009. p. 2.
- ^ "Queen's birthday honours list: Knights". The Guardian (London). 13 June 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
External links