Earlier this year the government was forced to abort its appointment of Dame Janet Finch as the next Chair of the UK Statistics Authority.

It is the Authority’s job to try to stop politicians playing fast and loose with official statistics, as well as to oversee the Office for National Statistics.

Dame Janet Finch withdrew from consideration citing "differing views about how the job should be undertaken" from the House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee, which gets to approve the appointment. The speculation is that the Committee wanted somebody more robust.

Today, after a more independent appointments process, the government has announced Andrew Dilnot CBE as their preferred candidate, subject to the Committee’s approval.

This is good news.

Mr Dilnot, Principal of St Hugh’s Oxford, goes way back on the cause of making sure the public get good information about important issues. He spent 11 years as Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, described by its founding Director as “a constant antidote to spin.”

He was the founding presenter of More or Less, the factcheckers of the radio world. Perhaps more frustratingly, he sits on the government’s Evidence-Based Policy Panel.

His CBE for services to economics preceded perhaps his greatest service so far: taking on the herculean task of finding a solution to funding social care that is both affordable and politically acceptable.

The Dilnot Commission reported in July and was welcomed as “a sensible plan” by no less authority than The Sun.

If Mr Dilnot’s appointment is approved—as is expected— by the Public Administration Select Committee when they meet on Tuesday, that ability to get his message across will come in handy.

Note: Andrew Dilnot sits on the Straight Statistics council, and Full Fact has recently announced that it is to merge with Straight Statistics.