Presentation to Standing Committee on Finance Statistician-General.

Presentation to Standing Committee on Finance

Statistician-General

Content

• Introduction

• Statistical production, a national effort– Where do we come from

– Where are we now

– Where do we want to be

• Strategic enablers

• Conclusion

Introduction

Strategic importance of statisticsStrategic importance of statistics

• To inform planning

• For evidence-based decision-making

• For monitoring and assessment of policies and programmes

Therefore, the production of statistics is a national effort

Statistical themes

1. Economic Growth and Transformation

2. Prices

3. Employment, job creation and decent work

4. Life circumstances, service delivery and poverty

5. Population dynamics

6. Health

7. Education

8. Safety and Security

9. Sustainable resource management

10. Food security, land reform and rural development

Production of statistics, a national effort

Where do we come from• Review methods and improving series

• Production of economic growth shared responsibility

Where are we now• Quarterly and annual GDP (production side) informed by regular monthly and

quarterly surveys and other data sources

• Large sample survey programme deepening understanding of industrial segmentation

• Fragmented business registration systems that prevents a single consistent view of the economy

Where are we going• Integrated business registration system underpinning economic profile

• Surveys and administrative records complementing each other to create a full picture of the economy

• Production of economic statistics under single statistical authority

Challenges and area of intervention• Business sampling frame as the pillar of economic statistics not complete

• Intergovernmental collaboration with SARS, Cipro and others

Economic Growth and Transformation

Where do we come from

• CPI debacle in 2003

Where are we now

• Introduced new collection methodology for CPI

• Introduced new collection methodology for IES to inform basket of CPI

Where are we going

• Regularly updated CPI

• Industry specific PPI’s

Challenges and priority area

• Reviewing the PPI

• Need for rolling survey programme to inform regular updates for prices

Prices

Where do we come from• Bi-annual labour force survey and Quarterly Employment statistics survey (formal

sector)

Where are we now• Introduced a new vehicle (quarterly labour force survey) to collect employment data

• QLFS and QES not in sync

Where are we going• Integrated business registration system underpinning employment information

• Surveys and administrative records complementing each other to create a full picture of employment

Challenges and area of intervention required• Business sampling frame as the pillar of employment statistics in the formal sector

not complete

• Synchronization of the source data

Employment, job creation and decent work

Where do we come from• Stats SA publishes annual information on life circumstances and service delivery

through conducting surveys and censuses

Where are we now• The General Household Survey does not provide information at lower levels

• Municipal data based on irregular surveys and not administrative records

• Quality of administrative records at municipalities questionable

• Stats SA developed methodology for establishing a poverty line

• Stats SA conducted a living conditions survey to produce a poverty profile of the country

Where are we going• Functional administrative systems at municipal level

• Integrated social statistics system to inform development outcomes

Challenges and area of intervention required• Lower level estimation

• Fragmented sources and system

• Capacity constraints in municipalities and Stats SA

Life circumstances, service delivery and poverty

Where do we come from• Population Censuses conducted in 1996 and 2001

• Community Survey conducted

• Midyear population estimates

• High levels of undercount

Where are we now• Planning for Census 2011

• Pilot conducted in 2009

• Dress rehearsal in 2010

• Strategies developed to address high undercount, publicity campaign and educating the population

Where are we going• Increase usage of administrative records e.g. Population register

• Use of Census as a critical pillar for national statistical system

Challenges and area of intervention required• Legislative provisions for the frequency of censuses

• Enumeration of everyone and reduction of undercount

Population dynamics & demographic profile

Legislative provisions• Act provides for 5-yearly census to be conducted

• Community Survey conducted in stead of a census in 2007 based on the advice from council and recommendation from SG to the Minister

– Deal with capacity constraints in Stats SA

– Proper time for planning

– Prospects for a 10-yearly census

Reduction of undercount• Stable supervisory workforce (20 000)

• Workforce need to be resourced adequately e.g. vehicles

• Interface between household and enumeration tools (length of stay)

• Workforce be known and respected in community

• Deploy workforce for a longer period (4 months - an hour a day)

• Recommendation: Deploy teachers as supervisors

• Employ anyone that qualifies as enumerators

State of readiness• Adequate capacity to manage Census 2011

Census 2011

Where do we come from• Education statistics are produced by the Department of Education through annual

surveys

• Education statistics are produced by Stats SA through the GHS and Population census

Where are we now• Interdepartmental collaboration established to improve quality of education statistics

• Education standards developed based on SASQAF

• Mapping data flow from schools level to user to identify quality constraints

Where do we want to be• Functional educational statistics system based on administrative records and survey

data that informs development outcomes

Challenges and area of intervention required• Resource constraints both in the Dept of Basic Education and Stats SA

• Functionality of management information system

Education

Where do we come from• Health statistics are produced by the Department of Health through demographic and

health surveys and administrative records

• Health statistics are produced by Stats SA through processing administrative data on vital registrations e.g. Births and deaths notifications

Where are we now• Fragmented and irregular publication of health statistics

• Interdepartmental collaboration established to improve quality of health statistics

• Assessment of Health information system conducted and quality gaps identified

• Mapping data flow from health facility level to user to identify quality constraints

Where do we want to be• Functional health information system based on administrative records and survey data

that informs development outcomes

Challenges and area of intervention required• Fragmented health information subsystems

• Resource constraints both in the Dept of Health and Stats SA

• Statistical standards for health statistics

Health

Where do we come from• Crime statistics are produced by the Department of Police, Justice and National

Prosecuting Authority through using administrative records

• Crime statistics were produced by Stats SA by conducting a Victims of Crime Survey in 1998

Where are we now• Lack of trust in crime statistics

• Interdepartmental collaboration initiated

• Proposal compiled to SAPS on statistical support from Stats SA

Where do we want to be• Integrated crime statistics system based on administrative records and survey data

that informs development outcomes

Challenges and area of intervention required• Accountability reporting at Police station level

• Statistical standards and definitions for crime statistics

• Resource constraints

Safety and security

Where do we come from• Statistical information on sustainable resource management fragmented

• Researched establishing an economic environmental accounts programme

Where are we now• Discussion documents compiled on Economic environmental accounts in terms of

water, minerals and energy

• Global research to develop international standard for environmental reporting not finalised

Where do we want to be• Official statistics published on water, minerals and energy according to a system of

economic environmental accounts

Challenges and area of intervention required• Establishing partnerships with other stakeholders in the field of sustainable resource

management

• Implementing an international standard for economic environmental accounts within SA

Sustainable resource management

Where do we come from• Lack of appropriate data to inform policy programmes

Where are we now• Fragmented sources

• Methodological developments through participation in “War on Poverty”

• Improving tools to measure agriculture, food security and rural development

Where do we want to be• Official statistics to inform policy reform

• Integrated products

Challenges and area of intervention required• Develop tools for measurement in collaboration with key stakeholders

• Integration of sources and systems

Food security, land reform and rural development

Building trust and public confidence

• Quality management system

• Business register

• Dwelling frame

• Integrative research and development

• Innovation management

• Integrated communication, marketing and stakeholder management

• Improve productivity and service delivery

Invest in the learning and growth

• Create an enabling information technology environment

• Create a conducive organisational environment

• Developing statistical capacity

• Statistical Training Institute

Stats ActRegulations

Section 7(3)(g)

Statistics unitsProf body for statisticiansForums: Producer, User &Provincial

SASQAFCode of ethicsSVC/model

Statistical tools

Governance

Roles and responsibities- Production- Coordination

Regulatory environment

Standards setting

(Statistician-General)

Section 7(2)(e) & 14(6)

Statistical advice &

Technical Support

(Statistician-General)

Section 7(2)(i)

Information Collection approval

Data sharing

Data provision

(Minister)

Section 14(1)-(3) & 14(8)(a)

Certification

(Statistician-General)

Section 7(3)(b) & 14(7)(a)

Strategic enablers

Conclusion

Towards a new strategic directionTowards a new strategic direction

• Broadening the role and reach of official statistics

• Growth through coordination

• Enhanced quality

• Sustained capacity

• Doing more with the same