Elections to Senedd Cymru May 2026: guidance for Welsh Government staff

The election to the Senedd takes place on 7 May 2026. The purpose of this guidance is to inform staff of the arrangements for handling government business during the pre-election period, so as to avoid being seen or perceived to influence the election campaign in any way, to maintain the impartiality of the civil service, and avoid criticism of an inappropriate use of official resources.

The Senedd will be dissolved at one minute past midnight on Wednesday 8 April 2026 and the pre-election period will begin on that day.

Ministers (the First Minister, Welsh Ministers/cabinet secretaries, the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery and deputy ministers - currently known as ministers)  will continue to hold ministerial office until after the election and until a new First Minister is appointed by His Majesty The King, following nomination by the Senedd, and a new Cabinet is appointed.

In line with the Ministerial Code, ministers will not undertake any engagements, make any announcements or take decisions, which are or could be construed as conferring party-political or electoral advantage. That means ministers will not ordinarily conduct any high-profile or sensitive official business during the pre-election period.

The day-to-day business of civil servants will continue, in most cases, as usual. However, there may be some areas in which our activities are restricted.

As Welsh Government officials, our role is to continue to support ministers in their work as usual, while being aware of the need to avoid action which is, or could be construed as being, party-political or likely to have a direct bearing on the Senedd Election.

It is important that the public has confidence during any pre-election period that Welsh Government resources, which includes the time and attention of the civil service, are not used to help any particular political party or to support any political activity during an election campaign.

The civil service is required to be strictly neutral and impartial in respect of elections. To help ensure this, the First Minister invites the Cabinet of the Welsh Government to commit to observing guidance to prevent any actual, or perceived, use of public resources for campaigning purposes or for any actions or activities designed primarily to influence the outcome of the election; and the Permanent Secretary, with the support of the First Minister, agrees complementary guidance for the civil service on conduct during a pre-election period.

These actions are underpinned by the respective codes of conduct for ministers and for civil servants, which are referred to below. Please see links to the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Code.

The purpose of this note is to provide general guidance on the impact the election campaign will have on us as civil servants. Staff working in the Senedd Commission will receive separate guidance, prepared in the light of their particular circumstances. Additional guidance is included for colleagues in the communications profession and those involved in statistical as well as survey and broader research activity. The principles of this guidance will be conveyed to NHS bodies in Wales. A summary of guidance for Welsh Government Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) and other devolved public bodies in Wales is included at the end of this advice and partnership teams should ensure they discuss this guidance with all their public bodies.

Local authorities in Wales are not subject to this pre-election period guidance but are likely to separately produce their own guidance for staff.

The Civil Service Code continues to apply during the campaign. Under that, we must adhere to 2 basic principles at all times:

1. to be, and to be seen to be, politically impartial, and
2. to ensure that public resources are not used for party-political purposes.

During the pre-election period, ministers should not be asked to take high profile or sensitive decisions, including new spending commitments. Such decisions should either be taken before the pre-election period begins or be deferred until after polling day. Routine or very urgent matters should continue to be dealt with.

More generally, we should continue to submit advice and briefings to ministers, and otherwise carry out their work as normal, taking account of the usual requirements for impartiality. This means making sure that nothing in our work (including briefing and answers to correspondence) suggests support for, or opposition to, one or more political parties, or could be taken to do so. If in doubt, advice should be sought from the relevant Director General or Departmental Director.

We should bear in mind, however, that ministerial availability to clear work may be limited during the pre-election period. Therefore, if you intend to submit work to a minister, which requires urgent attention then you should contact the relevant private office in good time to discuss timings.

The day-to-day business of civil servants will continue, in most cases, as usual. However, there may be some areas in which our activities are restricted. We should not undertake any work, including announcements, meetings, or campaigns, which are likely to attract media attention, and/or are politically sensitive or high-profile. When planning such activities, the pre-election period should be avoided altogether. Further guidance on the kinds of activity that should not take place during the campaign period is set out in annex A to this notice. Separate guidance on consultation exercises is set out below.

Neither should we agree to make joint announcements with Whitehall departments. This guidance applies to Welsh Government officials, however, officials in Whitehall may not be as constrained during the pre-election period. In any case, making an announcement jointly during the pre-election period would almost certainly be a breach of these guidelines for the Welsh Government. Therefore, any joint announcements of any kind should be postponed until after the election. If you are in any doubt, please consult with communications, as per the contact details at paragraph 16.

It is normal practice in the period before an election for individual opposition parties who may form or be part of a government after the election, and with the prior agreement of the First Minister, to be offered, confidential “access talks” with the Permanent Secretary. Any request from political parties which appears to relate to those talks should be directed to the Permanent Secretary’s office to consider and respond.

Public-facing communications by senior civil servants

There should be no public-facing communications by senior civil servants during the pre-election period. This includes interviews, appearances at conferences / events, or any media interviews. Care should be taken that any interviews conducted prior to the pre-election period are not held over and then run during the campaign, and written assurances should be sought on this.

If there is an urgent or unavoidable need for government advice to the public on, for example, a health or animal health emergency, communications colleagues will provide support to ensure that this remains clearly outside the political sphere.

Where the Welsh Government is preparing new policy, programmes or legislative proposals and is required to consult, consultations should not ordinarily commence during the pre-election period.

High profile or sensitive consultations should not coincide with the pre-election period at all. However, consultations that have begun before the beginning of the pre-election period may continue, with appropriate constraints regarding public communications, provided that the consultation is neither high profile nor sensitive. The outcome of any consultations would be for the new government to consider.

Where a joint consultation between a UK government department and the Welsh Government is proposed, every attempt should be made to avoid any consultation commencing during the pre-election period (or indeed running into it, if it will be contentious or high-profile). Where this is unavoidable due to a legislative timetable at Westminster, or where there is a particular danger that Wales could be excluded from legislation, which could be detrimental to the public interest, the consultation should proceed but with sensitivity to the election campaigns.

Where a UK government department is consulting on a UK, a Great Britain, or an “England and Wales” basis, we should draw their attention to the pre-election period and ask them to be sensitive to the election campaigns – as was the case here when the UK Parliamentary elections were undertaken in 2024.

We should continue to provide recorded information in response to enquiries from parties, candidates and others.

All requests for recorded information fall under the Freedom of Information Act and must normally be responded to within 20 working days. Requests which seek disclosure of recorded information, which is not in the public domain, should continue to be dealt with according to the relevant guidance. However, during the pre-election period, it is particularly important for staff to be mindful of the political implications of responses to requests. The handling of requests which are likely to have political implications should be discussed with an appropriate Director General or Departmental Director.

All requests for recorded information should be treated equally, regardless of any known political affiliation of the person making them.

Where possible, we should make every attempt to draft and clear replies to correspondence before the commencement of the pre-election period.

Election candidates, whether they be MSs or not should be treated equally. This means that letters from election candidates received during the pre-election period should be responded to by ministers.

Holding replies will only be necessary if the proposed response is likely to attract local or national media attention other than in a trivial or cursory reference or deals with politically contentious issues. Holding replies will be issued by private secretaries on advice from officials and suggested text is in Annex A.

Other than as described above, guidance on who should receive Ministerial/TO correspondence remains unchanged and will be determined by Correspondence Unit in the usual way. Examples of standard wording for replies to invitations can be found below.

Standard wording for replying to routine invitations

The Minister has asked me to thank you for your letter/e-mail of [date] inviting him/her to [event] on/in [date] 2026.

Elections to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) are due to take place on 7 May and, as such, it is not possible to confirm the Minister’s availability at this time. Please feel free to write again after 7 May once the new Government is in place.

Standard wording for replying to invitations to high profile events

The Minister has asked me to thank you for your letter/e-mail of [date] inviting him/her to [event] on/in [date] 2026.

The Minister would be pleased to accept but is only able to agree this in principle at this time. Elections to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) are due to take place on 7May and it will not be possible to confirm the Minister’s attendance until after that day and the new Government is in place.

We will contact you again as soon as possible after 7 May but if, in the meantime, you would prefer to make other arrangements then please let us know.

The public appointment process should be completed (i.e. relevant Welsh Minister takes a decision on appointment in line with the usual submission process and appointment publicised) before the pre-election period begins. If the appointment process runs into the pre-election period, then it will have to be stopped. Once a new government is formed, ministerial agreement will need to be sought to run a new public appointment recruitment campaign. Only by exception will it be possible to pause and re-start a campaign that was mid-way through prior to the pre-election period where there is an overwhelming and urgent business need agreed by Ministers. Exception requests must be agreed by the Public Bodies Unit. Any requests for extensions or reappointments will also need to be considered and agreed before the pre-election period begins.

All officials should familiarise themselves with the rules on political activity, as the majority of civil servants are required to apply for permission before taking part in political activity.

Any Welsh Government employee wishing to undertake any political or campaigning activity in relation to the election, including standing as a candidate, should first seek permission in writing, via their line manager, from their Human Resources Business Partner.

The test that is applied in deciding whether to give permission is whether the applicant is working in a "sensitive area," which is explained in full in the policy on political activities. The Welsh Government may attach conditions or restrictions to any permission that is granted. For example, anonymous telephone canvassing may be permitted but not door-to-door canvassing or speaking at meetings. The Senior Civil Service, Executive Bands (Grades 6 and 7) and Fast Streamers are precluded from national political activity, which includes Senedd elections.

Industrial and non-office grades have blanket permission to take part in political activity.

Welsh Government premises and resources should never be used for campaigning purposes. We should not allow the use of Welsh Government premises for such purposes in any circumstances, or the display of election posters. However, some Government premises may be used to facilitate politically balanced events, such as cross-party hustings, but great care should be taken that the nature of the event is clear in advance and advice should be sought from the Head of Strategic Communications in every case. Similar guidance will be issued to NHS bodies and Arm’s Length Bodies on the use of their estates.

Grants

Avoid opening or advertising grant schemes during the pre-election period.

Officials should avoid opening or advertising any grant schemes during the pre-election period. For any grant schemes that are open for applications ahead of the pre-election period, every effort should be made to ensure decisions are made and organisations notified of the outcomes ahead of the pre-election period. If this is not possible, consideration should be given to delay opening of the grant scheme until after the election.

Every effort should be made to issue grant award letters ahead of the pre-election period. If this is not possible, an assessment should be made as to whether the grant is considered high-profile and/or sensitive. If considered high profile and/or sensitive, appropriate advice must be sought (Director General/Departmental Director/Grants Centre of Excellence) before any grant award letters are issued. In urgent or critical cases, it may be possible to issue on an exception basis but again advice must be sought before any legally binding grant award letters are issued.

If the grant award letters are not deemed high profile and/or sensitive and considered more “business as usual” grants, efforts should still be made to issue grant award letters ahead of, rather than during, the pre-election period.

Officials should be aware that any grant award letters which need to be issued during the pre-election period on an exceptional basis, also need careful consideration to ensure the grant funding issued aligns with the rest of this guidance.

Post election, officials need to be aware they may need to revisit the policy intention of the grant scheme with the newly appointed minister before the grant scheme is advertised. There are other important considerations and potential actions required by grant officials post-election, primarily regarding issue of grant award letters under the correct ministerial authority. The grant award letter is a legally binding agreement, and it can put public funds at risk if guidance and advice are not followed. It is vital that grant award letters are not backdated, amended, or issued. The newly appointed minister must be fully sighted on all new grant awards under their remit.

Any internal planning and development of new grant schemes, including attending the Grants Assurance Panel, can of course take place as normal.

Please contact Grantscentreofexcellence@gov.wales for further advice and support regarding grants.

Procurement activity during the pre-election period

Procurement activity should be scheduled to ensure that the advertisement or award of contracts does not occur during the pre-election period. Where procurement activity commenced ahead of the pre-election period, every effort should be made to ensure decisions are made and organisations notified of the outcomes ahead of the pre-election period. Officials should work with their allocated procurement lead to determine realistic and achievable timescales.

Procurement activity above £25,000 (excl. VAT)

Officials should avoid advertising any contract opportunities or awarding any contracts during the pre-election period which:

• are high profile and likely to attract media attention, and / or
• create significant long-term commitments, and / or
• are politically sensitive.

An assessment should be made to determine whether the procurement should be considered high-profile or sensitive during the pre-election period. Advice should be sought from the relevant Director General and / or Departmental Director before commencing any activity.

Once a new minister is appointed after the election, officials should be aware they may need to revisit the policy intention of the procurement activity with the appointed minister before advertising / awarding.

Any internal planning of non-contentious procurement activity can take place as normal.

Procurement activity below £24,999.99 (excl. VAT)

Please speak to your Deputy Director before proceeding with any procurement activity £24,999.99 and below.

Advice on the procurement of research is within the wider Welsh Government advice at Annex C.

If you are in any doubt about what to do, then please speak to CPS/CPICT or contact CPSprocurementadvice@gov.wales.

Officials in Ministerial Private Offices should continue to provide support to ministers in their official duties at all times during the pre-election period.

Ministers will be undertaking campaign activity and as such private office staff may wish to discuss the principles of this guidance with their ministers prior to the start of the formal pre-election period, or when appropriate. Separately, there will be a Cabinet paper setting out the First Minister’s expectation relating to Ministerial conduct during the pre-election period.

Ministers will, as usual, be subject to the terms of the Ministerial Code, which requires them to maintain a separation of their ministerial and political roles. Private Office officials should continue to support ministers in their official duties at all times. This includes ensuring that Private Office officials, and not a member of a minister’s personal or constituency staff, attends each official engagement, and if one candidate is invited to attend an official ministerial engagement, all other candidates must also be afforded the same opportunity. Officials in Private Offices should familiarise themselves with the guidance on handling correspondence and Freedom of Information outlined in this document.

Private Office officials should never attend engagements which are explicitly for party-political or campaigning purposes. Nor should they allow Welsh Government resources to be used for campaigning purposes. In particular, they should not book official cars or rooms in Welsh Government premises or elsewhere, commission speeches or briefing, or arrange any other support, for party and campaigning engagements.

Ministers’ party and campaigning engagements should continue to be recorded in their official diaries.

Special Advisers will continue to provide advice and support to ministers, including political advice, in line with the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers – in particular paragraphs 20 and 21.

The code sets out the implications of a Special Adviser considering undertaking any public campaigning activity or wishing to be an election candidate. Rules relating to this are set out in paragraph 22 of the code.

Please refer to the specific guidance, which is attached to this guidance note. Guidance for staff in communications directorate is attached at Annex B and guidance for staff involved in statistical, survey and broader research activity is at Annex C.

There is a long-standing principle that public bodies must be politically impartial. Although Arm’s Length Bodies – statutory bodies, WG-owned companies, statutory office holders and Commissioners – operate independently of Welsh Government, they are still government organisations and must not appear to influence or attempt to influence the outcome of any election. They cannot be seen to seek endorsement by political parties at any time. Each body should refer to its Code of Conduct for how staff and Board members should behave during the pre-election period.

ALB resources, including their properties and buildings, must not be used for party political purposes at any time. Board members or staff of public bodies should not attend political party events in an official capacity during the formal pre-election period. Public bodies should not begin or continue any advertising or consultation campaigns during the pre-election period. If, in exceptional circumstances, advertising or publicity is required in this period, bodies must seek advice from their partnership team. Bodies should also consider whether existing publicity for events, exhibitions or other continuing activity could be considered party political and ensure any such publicity material is removed or changed until after the election. No response to any consultation should be published until after the election.

Staff who wish to stand for election or campaign for a party or candidate should refer to their terms and conditions of employment.

Board members appointed by Welsh Ministers should not make any public statements during the election that could be seen as favouring one or more parties, nor should they seek or accept endorsement of the body’s plans or activities from any party or candidate. Board members must abstain from all controversial political activities and be – and be seen to be – politically impartial. The only exception to this is when a Board member has been appointed to the body because they hold elected office, such as members of local authorities. Only in that case will those Board members be allowed to take a public role in the election.

The public appointment process should be completed (i.e. relevant Welsh Minister takes a decision on appointment in line with the usual submission process and appointment publicised) before the pre-election period begins. If the appointment process runs into the pre-election period, then it will have to be stopped. Once a government is formed after the election, a new request for ministerial agreement to run a new public appointment recruitment campaign will be needed. Only by exception will it be possible to pause and re-start a campaign that was mid-way through prior to the pre-election period, and only where there is an overwhelming and urgent business need which has been agreed by ministers. Exception requests must be agreed by the Public Bodies Unit. Any requests for extensions or reappointments will also need to be considered and agreed before the pre-election period begins.

If a member of a Welsh Government advisory board is adopted as a Senedd candidate, they should recuse themselves and step back from their role until the outcome of the election is known.

Although advisory board members are not civil servants and may not be explicitly covered by the Governance Code on Public Appointments, this approach avoids any perception of misuse of public resources - including privileged access to Welsh Government stakeholders and information.

You should discuss any doubts you have with your line manager in the first instance. But you can get more help and advice, particularly on specific cases, from the following. Please submit your query by e-mail.

For queries on:

• Ministerial briefing and similar - the relevant private secretary
• Ministerial correspondence: Correspondence Unit
• public access to information – Freedom of Information Officer mailbox
• issues relating to funding decisions, costing party policies etc. - Budget and Government Business
• personal conduct of staff (including special advisers) wishing to engage in campaigning activity etc. - your HR Business Partner Team
• announcements, events, marketing and publicity - Head of Strategic Communications or Head of News
• specific queries from staff involved in statistical or survey work - Heads of Statistical Policy and Standards
• specific queries from staff on the conduct of research – ChiefSocialResearchOfficer@gov.wales
• specific queries relating to Legislative Consent Motions (LCMs), Statutory Instrument Consent Motions (SICMs) – UK Legislation Team uklegislationteam@gov.wales
• queries on intergovernmental relations and or proposed joint UKG / WG activity – uklegislationteam@gov.wales
• policy and legislation in relation to the conduct of the election itself –Local Government and Planning
• guidance on grants and procurement – Grants Centre of Excellence
• Arm’s Length Bodies – Public Bodies Unit
• officials in private offices - Cabinet Secretariat.

Any other queries concerning this guidance please contact Cabinet Secretariat.

Cabinet Secretariat
January 2026

The day-to-day business of civil servants will continue, in most cases, as usual. However, there may be some areas in which our activities are restricted. The following list sets out criteria for determining whether a proposed initiative or activity should not take place during the campaign period. It is not exhaustive and, if in doubt, you should err on the side of caution and defer action until after the election.

Any activity should not take place if it meets either of the following criteria:

• it is likely to attract any local or national media attention other than trivial or cursory references, or
• it deals with a politically contentious issue, i.e. one on which the main political parties in Wales have contrasting views on which they are likely to campaign.

These criteria should be applied to activity which deals with individual cases, such as answering correspondence, as well as broad policymaking. The test here is whether the correspondence would infringe any of the above criteria if made public. If it does, it will be necessary to send a holding reply, which should read as follows:

“I regret [I am / the Minister is] unable to reply substantively to your letter of [DD/MM/YYYY] about [subject of correspondence]. Our rules on conduct restrict the extent to which we can promote Welsh Government policy during an election campaign. This is to avoid any suggestion of unduly seeking to influence the outcome of the forthcoming election.

I will send you a full reply as soon as possible after the election.

Guidance on communications for all staff in the pre-election period.

Principles

No element of the Welsh Government’s communications activity during the pre-election period must be seen, or perceived to be influencing, or potentially influencing the outcome of the election on behalf of any political party, or carry any implication that the government is taking a position on any issue related to the election campaign through its channels, including supporting ministers to do so.

Detailed guidance

Press and media

As with previous Welsh election campaigns, there should be no proactive press and media announcements around policy or funding for the duration of the pre-election period.

Reactive press and media activity should also be limited during the pre-election period. We will still monitor and correct reporting errors in the media, but only as they relate directly to the Welsh Government, for example, mistakes in reporting statistics or basic factual errors.

Social media channels

With the exception of public health information or factual information, government social media channels should not publish new content during the pre-election period.

Engagement with social media users should be kept to a bare minimum during this period and restricted to factual signposting. No social media content on government channels should be capable of being construed as promoting or celebrating the government’s achievements, and nothing posted which could be seen as commenting on the ongoing election campaign.

Campaigns and public information

Campaign activity by the Welsh Government should be kept to the minimum possible during the pre-election period. No new campaigns should be launched during this period and any existing campaign activity, whether paid-for or organic, should be scrutinised closely, and a positive case made as to why it should not be suspended for the pre-election period.

Other campaigns, such as student finance or business support, where people could potentially not be aware of the support that is available to them, should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Any agreement to continue should be restricted to delivering neutral and factual information to the public and must not be capable of being perceived as promoting the government’s achievements in that area. Content created prior to the start of the pre-election period may need to be adapted before use during this time.

The Welsh Government issues a large number of sector newsletters to stakeholders in order to inform them about key developments. These should be subject to the same tests above, and if deemed clearly necessary during the pre-election period, must only contain factual and signposting information. Statutory notices can continue to be published but must only relate to projects which have been previously announced.

Public-facing communications by senior civil servants

There should be no public-facing communications by senior civil servants during the pre-election period. This includes interviews, appearances at conferences / events, or any media interviews. Care should be taken that any interviews conducted prior to the pre-election period are not held over and then run during the campaign, and written assurances should be sought on this.

If there is an urgent or unavoidable need for government advice to the public on, for example, a health or animal health emergency, communications colleagues will provide support to ensure that this remains clearly outside the political sphere.

Arm’s Length Bodies

Although Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) – statutory bodies, WG-owned companies, statutory office holders and Commissioners – operate independently of Welsh Government, they are still Government organisations and must not appear to influence or attempt to influence the Senedd, the Welsh Government or any political party.

Restrictions apply to ALBs during the pre-election period, and they should not allow their premises or other resources to be used for party political purposes. Each body should refer to its Code of Conduct for staff and Board members. Chairs and Board members of ALBs who are appointed by Welsh Ministers should avoid making public statements during the election. Partnership teams should ensure that their bodies and companies are aware of this guidance before the pre-election period begins.

Ministerial visits

Ministerial visits will not normally take place during the pre-election campaign, nor will Ministers undertake virtual public-facing events. Where this does take place, any public communications relating to them through government channels should be closely scrutinised as to whether they should be published and if so, cleared at a senior level before publication. Care should also be taken around any communications issued by third parties or organisations in the event that any events do take place in a ministerial capacity in the pre-election period.

Cymru Wales marketing

Campaign activity delivered under the Cymru Wales nation brand should be kept to the absolute minimum possible during the pre-election period. No new campaigns should be launched during this period and any existing campaign activity, whether paid-for or organic, should be scrutinised closely, and a positive case made as to why it should not be suspended for the pre-election period.

All content (including social media activity) should be signed off at a senior level before being published. Other campaigns delivered under the Cymru Wales brand should be considered on a case-by-case basis. They should be restricted to promotional information about Wales as a destination (e.g. to study, trade, invest or visit), and must not be capable of being perceived as promoting the government’s achievements in that area.

Interaction with other UK governments

Any ongoing or proposed joint marketing campaigns or other communications activity undertaken in partnership with UK administrations or third-party organisations must be carefully considered and discussed prior to the pre-election period. These considerations should be based on the principles set out above. UK government will place their own constraints on their activities in Wales during the pre-election period. Where statements are made by UK Ministers in their capacity as Ministers relating to issues in Wales during this period, it is legitimate for Welsh Ministers to respond through government channels.

Conclusion

The overall message is to exercise great caution in the run up to and during the pre-election period and always check if there is any doubt in your mind about what may be appropriate in the pre-election period.

Head of News.

Head of Strategic Communications.

Guidance for statistical, survey and research activity in the pre-election period

This guidance is aimed at all staff involved in statistical, survey and research activity. This includes professional analysts in Knowledge and Analytical Services (KAS) and any other staff across the Welsh Government involved in these activities. The guidance should also be taken into account by our partner organisations and other official statistics producers in Wales. This guidance supplements the Guidance for Welsh Government Staff. The guidance covers the pre-election period which is effective from 8 April 2026 until and including polling day on 7 May 2026.

The guidance is not exhaustive and any other issues that arise during the campaign should be raised in the first instance with the Chief Statistician or the Chief Social Research Officer who will provide guidance.

Principles

1. As always, for official statistics ensure compliance with the 'Code of Practice for Statistics' and the associated Pre-Release Access to Official Statistics (Wales) Order 2009. For research, the Government Social Research (GSR) Code and publication protocol continue to apply in the pre-election period.

2. Do not compete with parties and candidates for the attention of the public.

3. Do not, and do not appear to, engage in party politics, or be used for party political purposes.

Release of statistics

4. Issue statistical outputs that have already been pre-announced before the start of the election period. Do not issue any unannounced ad hoc statistical outputs, and avoid postponing any regular or pre-announced outputs, as the motive for doing so may be questioned.

5. If a postponement of a statistical output cannot be avoided, be transparent on the reasons for postponement in any public communication and, if possible, state when the postponed statistics are likely to be published. Avoid postponements that would move publication of statistics from before polling day until after wherever possible.

6. Avoid publishing official statistics on the date of the election. If an output has been pre-announced for that date, consult with the Head of Statistical Policy and Standards and adhere to the GSS policy on publishing official statistics on polling days.

7. There may be some exceptional circumstances which require the publication of unannounced ad hoc statistics (for example, when an unpublished statistic has been used publicly). This should always be discussed with the Chief Statistician.

8. Continue to publish social media posts relating to the publication of statistical outputs through the @statisticswales and @ystadegaucymru accounts. However, during the pre-election period avoid generating new infographics or charts for social media that have not previously been produced and issued.

9. Always take great care to be impartial and objective in the way you present and describe statistics, and in face-to-face briefing.

10. New statistics blogs should be avoided during the pre-election period.

Publication of research reports

11. Any reports published during the pre-election period should be pre-announced before the start of the pre-election period. However, given the short pre-announcement for research (2 weeks) it is generally expected that research will not be published during the period but if there are reasons for publishing in the pre-election period a longer pre-announcement should be given but should be cleared with the Chief Social Research Officer.  Advice on particular cases can also be sought from the Chief Social Research Officer.

Procurement of research

12. Procurement activity for a new piece of research should not be undertaken during the pre-election period, nor should any award be made for an existing procurement during the pre-election period. Approval should be sought from the Chief Social Research Officer if there are exceptional circumstances that mean it would not be possible to wait until after the election to begin the procurement or to award.

Requests for information or advice

13. Handle requests for factual information in line with the Guidance for Welsh Government Staff.

14. Be even-handed in meeting factual information requests from candidates – for example in the level of detail you provide, and how promptly.

15. Continue to meet requests for factual guidance on methodology.

16. Handle with great care any requests for advice on interpreting or analysing statistics, especially requests related to parties’ policies or manifesto pledges. Costings of policies or pledges should not be undertaken without first consulting Budget and Government Business Division.

17. The routine publication of material issued in response to requests for statistical information on a fortnightly basis will continue throughout the pre-election period and you should ensure the statistical publications team (Stats.web) are informed of such requests. It is important that this is done on a systematic basis which avoids the perception of being selective.

Requests for published material

18. Meet requests for small numbers of leaflets, background papers or free publications which were available before the election period. Do not meet bulk orders without the Chief Statistician’s or Chief Social Research Officer’s approval, as they might be intended for campaigning purposes.

Surveys

19. Regular, continuous, and ongoing censuses and surveys may continue. So may ad hoc surveys that support a continuing statistical series.

20. Other ad hoc surveys may give rise to controversy or be related to an election issue. Where this is likely consider postponing or cancelling them. If this would be difficult or costly seek advice from the KAS Survey Advice Team.

Research fieldwork

21. Fieldwork associated with a research project should not in general be conducted during the pre-election period, although for ongoing survey work or time critical research it may be impossible to avoid the pre-election period; advice in specific cases should be sought from the Chief Social Research Officer whose approval is required to carry out fieldwork in a pre-election period.

Advice

22. If in doubt consult the contacts below or the contacts given in the main Election Guidance.

Knowledge and Analytical Service contacts:

Chief Statistician 

Chief Social Research Officer –  ChiefSocialResearchOfficer@gov.wales 

Heads of Statistical Policy and Standards