Interview: deputy national statistician on legacy tech, lockdowns and a ‘leap forward’ for government’s use of data Alison Pritchard on plans for the 2021 census, ensuring public trust in statistics – and her next epic boat journey Photo: Louise Haywood-Schiefer You may have noticed that statistics are having a bit of a moment. Many of us have spent unusually large chunks of the past year poring over statistical outputs including numbers of cases, R-rates, vaccine efficacy, and many more besides. We have watched daily as ministers, public health officials – and, yes, statisticians – have pointed to screens displaying graphs and numbers, intended to elucidate for us the parts of the story that words alone cannot.