Code of Practice for Official Statistics

1. Code of Practice for Official Statistics Presented by Yasmin Cassimally with inputs from Aimee Cheung STATISTICS MAURITIUS 23 September 2013

2. CONTENTS Code of Practice for Official Statistics (CoP) • What? • Why? • How? • When? • Highlights • Uses and benefits

3. WHAT IS A CoP? A set of principles for • developing, • producing, and • disseminating official statistics

4. OFFICIAL STATISTICS Statistics produced by • Statistics Mauritius • Bank of Mauritius • Ministry of Health • Others as approved by Statistics Board

5. WHY A CoP? • Improve quality, relevance and credibility of official stats • Ensure that they are produced, managed and disseminated to high standards and are well explained

6. CONTEXT “The Director of Statistics shall…… with the approval of the Board, publish a CoP for Official Statistics which shall be based on the values of the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and the African Charter on Statistics, and any other internationally accepted principles relating to statistics” Statistics Act 2000 (Amended)

7. HOW? Benchmark and best practices • UN Principles for official statistics • UN Guidelines for a generic NQAF • African Charter for Statistics • IMF Data Quality Assessment Framework • European Statistics Code of Practice • UK Code of Practice

8. HOW? (cont’d) . Developed by Statistics Mauritius in consultation with • Bank of Mauritius • Financial Services Commission • Ministry of Health

9. WHEN? Approved in May 2013 by the Statistics Board .

10. CoP - OVERVIEW 15 principles accounting for factors influencing the production of statistical information + list of indicators of best practice

11. CoP – OVERVIEW (cont’d) Three main components • Institutional and Organizational environment • Statistical Processes • Statistical Outputs

12. INSTITUTIONAL & ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT • Principles • Professional independence • Mandate for Data Collection • Adequacy of Resources • Quality Commitment • Statistical Confidentiality • Impartiality and objectivity .

13. 1. Professional Independence Indicators • Independence from political & external interference specified in law • Head of the statistical authority not subject to the direction or control of any authority • Head has the sole responsibility for deciding on methods, standards and procedures, and content and timing of statistical releases • The statistical work programmes are published and periodic reports describe progress made • Statistical releases are issued separately from political/policy statements • Statistical authority may comment on statistical issues, including erroneous interpretations and misuses of statistics Outcome Increased public trust and confidence in Official Statistics

14. 2. Mandate for data collection Indicators • The mandate of the statistical authority to collect information for the production and dissemination of Official Statistics is specified in law • The statistical authority is allowed by law to have access and use administrative records for statistical purposes • The statistical authority may, by law, compel response to statistical inquiries Outcome Authority of statistical agencies recognized and better statistical reporting

15. 3. Adequacy of Resources Indicators • Resources are available to meet statistical needs • The scope, detail and cost of statistics produced and publicized are commensurate with needs • Procedures exist to assess and justify demands for new statistics against their cost Outcome Users’ statistics needs in terms of quality, relevance and timeliness met

16. 4. Quality Commitment Indicators • Product quality is regularly monitored according to a National Quality Assessment Framework • Procedures are in place to monitor the quality of the collection, processing and dissemination of statistics from all sources • Procedures are in place to deal with quality considerations, including tradeoffs within quality, and to guide planning for existing and emerging surveys • Quality assurance guidelines are documented and staff are trained in quality management • Regular review of key statistical outputs using external experts where appropriate • Users are informed about the quality of statistical outputs Outcome Professionalism of statistical agencies recognized & credibility enhanced

17. 5. Statistical Confidentiality Indicators • Statistical confidentiality guaranteed in law • Staff sign legal confidentiality commitments • Penalties prescribed for any breaches of statistical confidentiality • Instructions and guidelines are provided on the protection of statistical confidentiality, and made public • Physical provisions are in place to protect the security and integrity of statistical databases, and made known to the public. • Strict protocols for access to micro-data for research purposes • Arrangements for confidentiality protection are sufficient to protect privacy but not restrictive to limit practical utility of Official Statistics Outcome Increased public confidence and better reporting to statistical censuses and surveys

18. 6. Impartiality and Objectivity Indicators • Statistics compiled on an objective basis determined by statistical considerations • Statistical releases are objective and nonpartisan • Statistical release dates are according to a pre-announced release calendar – any privileged pre-release access is publicized • A protocol on release procedures is publicized • Changes to methods or classifications are announced well in advance of the release of the changed statistics. • Errors found in published statistics are corrected at the earliest possible date and publicized • A revision policy for those outputs that are subject to scheduled revisions is published Outcome Integrity and credibility of Official Statistics enhanced

19. STATISTICAL PROCESSES Principles • Sound Methodology • Appropriate Statistical Procedures • Non-excessive Burden on Respondents • Cost effectiveness

20. 7. Sound Methodology Indicators • Methodological framework follows latest international standards and good practices • Procedures are in place to ensure that standard concepts, definitions and classifications are consistently applied • The business register and the frame for population surveys are regularly evaluated and adjusted in order to ensure high quality • Detailed concordance exists between national and international classifications • Staff attend relevant training courses, and interact with colleagues at international level to learn from best practices and improve their expertise • Benchmarking with international best practices is regularly conducted to improve methodology & co-operation of international community sought Outcome Trust in Official Statistics and public value secured

21. 8. Appropriate Statistical Procedures Indicators • Appropriate tools in place to assess the quality of potential data sources • Questionnaires tested prior to the data collection • Survey designs, sample selections, and sample weights are regularly reviewed and documented • Field operations, data entry, and coding instructions manuals are made available; operations are monitored & revised as required • Appropriate editing and imputation computer systems are used, and regularly reviewed and documented • Revisions follow standard, well-established and transparent procedures Outcome Trust and confidence in Official Statistics enhanced

22. 9. Non–excessive Burden on Respondents Indicators • The range and detail of demands in statistics is limited to what is absolutely necessary • Use appropriate sampling techniques to reduce reporting burden   • Information sought from businesses are readily available from their records and electronic are used to facilitate its return • Procedures in place to streamline and harmonize surveys to avoid duplication • Administrative sources to be used whenever possible • Data sharing within statistical authorities adopted to avoid multiplication of surveys • Procedures are in place to analyze costs of new data needs to data suppliers against the potential benefits Outcome Harmonized and cost-effective data collection system in place, and cooperation of data providers enhanced

23. 10. Cost Effectiveness Indicators • Internal and independent external measures monitor statistical authority’s use of resources • Routine clerical operations are automated • IT optimized for data collection, processing and dissemination • Proactive efforts made to improve the statistical potentials of administrative data to avoid duplicating and costly data collection • Relationship between the statistical planning processes, work programmes, allocation of resources, and outcomes assessed • Procedures exist to monitor expenditure against work programmes – assess need to check if they can be discontinued or curtailed Outcome More cost effective statistics that respond to user needs

24. STATISTICAL OUTPUTS Principles • Relevance • Accuracy and Reliability • Timeliness and Punctuality • Coherence and Comparability • Accessibility and Clarity

25. 11. Relevance Indicators • Processes in place to monitor the relevance and practical utility of existing statistics in meeting users’ needs. • Processes in place to consult users on their emerging needs and priorities. • Priority needs are met and reflected in work programmes  • User satisfaction surveys undertaken periodically and results publicized Outcome Better design and evaluation of public and private policies and programmes, and better development progress

26. 12. Accuracy and reliability Indicators • Source data & statistical outputs are evaluated against existing information • Sampling and non-sampling errors are measured and documented • Studies and analyses of revisions are carried out routinely and used internally to inform statistical processes Outcome Confidence and trust in Official Statistics strengthened

27. 13. Timeliness and Punctuality Indicators • Timeliness meets international standards • A standard daily time is set for the release of statistics • Periodicity of Official Statistics takes into account user requirements • Inform users of any divergence from the expected time schedule • Release preliminary results of acceptable quality Outcome More effective and timely policies, and better development programmes

28. 14. Coherence and comparability Indicators • Statistics are internally coherent and consistent • Statistics are coherent or reconcilable over a reasonable period of time • Statistics are compiled on the basis of common standards in different surveys and sources • Statistics from different sources are compared and reconciled • Comparability is ensured through use of international recommendations Outcome Better understanding of social, economic and environmental phenomena

29. 15. Accessibility and Clarity Indicators • Statistics are presented in a form that facilitates proper interpretation and meaningful comparisons • Dissemination services use modern ICT tools, and are free of charge if possible • Clear pricing policies are adopted and publicized • Access to micro-data is allowed through an official micro-data data dissemination policy • Metadata are documented according to standardized metadata systems and are publicized • Users are kept informed of the methodology and procedures & quality of statistical outputs w.r.t. official quality criteria Outcome Improved use of statistics, and better informed policy makers and population

30. BENEFITS OF CoP Tool for quality management • Overarching framework that provides context for quality initiatives, and single place to record quality concepts, policies and practices • Systematic mechanism for identification of quality problems and possible actions • Greater transparency to all processes - quality assured and credibility reinforced • A basis for creating and maintaining a quality culture within the organization • Supports quality improvements and their maintenance over time

31. WHAT NEXT? Code of Practice for Official Statistics • to be applied and respected by all producers of Official Statistics • assess compliance by an independent and competent body at least once every 3 years

32. For more Check our website at http://statsmauritius.gov.mu

33. Thank you