Department of Energy and Climate Change - Emma Reed,

• Name: Emma Reed
• Employer: Department of Energy and Climate Change
• Occupation: National statistics and fuel poverty policy
• Grade: -

Last updated - 5th October 2009

Emma Reed joined the Statistical Fast Stream after completing a Masters in Statistics at University College London (her fi rst degree was in Maths).

She started off at the Home Offi ce where she worked on national statistics and quality assurance. “My primary responsibility was for the publication of drug seizure data, which involved working closely with police forces, Customs, and the Forensic Science Service. I also worked on prison populations and homicides.

My next post was in the Department for Work and Pensions, where I was embedded as an analyst in a policy team examining fraud and error in the benefi t system. One of the main things I worked on was evaluating the effi cacy of Voice Risk Analysis – a possible new technology that could potentially be used to detect suspect claims.

I’m now at the Department of Energy and Climate Change where I have two sets of responsibilities that are closely linked. Half of the work involves leading on the production of regular National Statistics for household energy bills and managing a placement student; the other is more policy orientated and involves working on fuel poverty (meaning households that would need to spend 10% of their income to suffi ciently power their homes). This is a high-profi le area with energy prices and climate change being particularly important areas at the moment.

It’s the flexibility of the Fast Stream programme that is one of its greatest strengths. I’m really interested in the role that analysis can play in policy making, and it’s been great to be able to move between departments and see it happening in different ways.”

It’s not just the day job that’s been keeping Emma busy, though. “I’ve twice been part of the organising committee for our annual conference of junior statisticians (the second year, I was the chair). I was also invited to give a speech on the future of statistics at the 40th birthday party of the Government Statistical Service.”