Transcript United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division Roundtable 1 Legal basis for the SBR in countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia Workshop.

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Statistical Division
Roundtable 1
Legal basis for the SBR in countries of
Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia
Workshop on Business Registers and their Role in
Business Statistics in the Eastern UNECE Region
5 October 2009, Luxembourg
Vitalija Gaucaite Wittich
([email protected])
SBR – a backbone for economic statistics
It is difficult to have good business
or overall economic statistics
without a reliable statistical
business register (SBR)
October 2009
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 2
SBR – a backbone for economic statistics

Unique sampling frame for business surveys in official
statistics (not only in NSO, but also by other producers
where relevant)

Provides for correction of coverage for data from
administrative sources

Harmonizes activity codes for same unit in all statistical
files (whether from surveys or administrative sources)

Helps matching files from different sources at unit level for
statistical purposes

Allows to monitor the statistical burden of individual units
or groups of units such as SME
October 2009
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 3
SBR – a backbone for economic statistics
SBR is exclusively for statistical use
access to SBR is limited to staff within the statistical
system and if statisticians from outside the NSO
have access, institutional guarantees for the
exclusively statistical use have to be present
does not exclude certain direct statistical outputs
from SBR for public dissemination
October 2009
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 4
SBR – a backbone for economic statistics
Is this always the case?
And how to ensure this?
October 2009
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 5
SBR – a backbone for economic statistics
NSOs in centrally planned economies often used to
be in charge of business registers without distinction
between statistical and non-statistical use
By now, in most of these countries (ex-cpe), this
separation of responsibilities is implemented, and
NSOs can concentrate on improving the quality and
coverage of their statistical business registers
October 2009
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 6
SBR – a backbone for economic statistics
But the implementation of this distinction took
place gradually, and not without difficulties
related to:
recognition of a potential conflict of interests - the NSO, as
responsible agency for the SBR, should not be at the same
time in charge of tasks that are in conflict with the 6th
fundamental principle of statistics (exclusively statistical use),
e.g. being in charge of or having to provide information on
individual units for administrative business registers
designation of another agency to take over responsibility for
the administrative business register
creation of the legal basis for SBR and administrative register
October 2009
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 7
Requirements for legal framework:
The matter of legal basis for SBR is not limited to the
statistical law and secondary legislation based on a
statistical law
It has to address issues of the relationship between
the statistical law and other legislation, particularly
the data protection laws, and some relevant
provisions that may be contained therein
October 2009
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 8
Requirements for legal framework:
Depending on provisions in statistical law and data
protection laws, some features of the SBR may require
specific articles on the SBR in the law itself
Any examples based on your country’s experience?
Right of access to administrative files for statistical
purposes should not exclude the transmission of identifiers
of economic units and possibility to proceed with matching
of files from different origin
How does it work in your country?
October 2009
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 9
Requirements for legal framework:
Need to recognize one-way principle
Data flows between SBR and administrative sources used
for updating the SBR have to follow the one-way principle,
because SBR:
May contain information from statistical surveys
collected with the pledge of exclusive statistical use
May have modified, because of statistical concepts,
data obtained from administrative or public sources
October 2009
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 10
Requirements for legal framework:
And how to deal with economic activity codes
The classification of economic activities may be used
beyond official statistics, i.e. directly in administrative files
NSO staff may train staff from administrative data
holders about using the economic activity classification
However, forwarding activity codes about individual
economic units from the SBR for administrative use may
create a conflict with 6th fundamental principle of statistics
October 2009
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 11
Your experience matters,
do share it!
Ваш опыт важен,
поделитесь им!
October 2009
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 12