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The Use of Administrative Sources for Statistical Purposes
Frameworks for theAccess and Use ofAdministrative Data
LegalFrameworks
Data Sources
There are two main sources of data
1. Statistical surveys
2. Administrative records
Legal frameworks are necessary toenable and control the flow of datafrom both sources.
National Legal Frameworks
• Most statistical institutions have legislation defining their roles and responsibilities, e.g. a ‘Statistical Law’
• Many new statistical laws introduced in the last 10 - 15 years
• Some existing statistical laws have been revised to include provisions for the use of administrative data
• Some national legal frameworks give more powers than others for access to administrative data
• Historical, political and cultural factors will have an impact on national frameworks, therefore these are not harmonised between countries
National Legal Frameworks
International Frameworks
• The European Union is developing a legal framework for official statistics, including references to the use of administrative data
Case Study - IrelandStatistics Act 1993:30. - (1) For the purpose of assisting the
Office in the exercise of its functions under this Act, the Director General may … request any public authority to—
(a) allow officers of statistics … to have access to … any records in its charge, and
(b) provide the Office … with copies or extracts from any such record,
and the public authority shall … comply with any such request free of charge.
31. - (2) If any public authority proposes to introduce, revise or extend any system for the storage and retrieval of information … it shall consult with the Director General and accept any recommendations that he may reasonably make …
(3) The Director General or any public authority may request the National Statistics Board to arbitrate on and, when agreement cannot be reached, to make recommendations to the [Prime Minister] for his decision on proposals made by the Director General …
Stages of Development
The Eurostat “Handbook of GoodPractices” identifies three key stagesin the development of a legalframework:
• Foundation
• Consolidation
• Evolution
Stages of Development
• Foundation stage - The statistical institute starts to get access to administrative sources
• Consolidation stage – Administrative data are used to build registers and produce statistics
Stages of Development
• Evolution stage - The legal framework encourages greaterco-operation between administrative data suppliers and the statistical institute concerning the collection of data for multiple purposes
How Data Collection is Changing
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1950 1975 2000 2025
Administrative
Postal
Interview
Timing• National statistical institutes are at
different stages in this process
• Different areas of statistics are at different stages in this process
• It takes at least 30 years to move from a population census based on paper questionnaires to one fully based on administrative data
Why is This Relevant?
• Legal frameworks should reflect the desired future position rather than the current reality, otherwise they will quickly become a barrier
• Start planning now for the next revision to the legal framework
Legislation on the Internet
• Austria - www.statistik.at/_institution/bstg2003.pdf
• Ireland - www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA21Y1993.html
– See sections 30 and 31
• Norway - www.ssb.no/english/about_ssb/statlaw/statlov_en.html
– See chapter 3-2
• Germany - www.destatis.de/download/ueber/bstag03_e.pdf
– See article 8
PolicyFrameworks
Policy Frameworks
• Government policy on data sharing– How can the national statistical
institute influence this?
• Codes of practice– International
– National
International Codes of Practice
• United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics– Principle 5: Data for statistical purposes
may be drawn from all types of sources, be they statistical surveys or administrative records. Statistical agencies are to choose the source with regard to quality, timeliness, costs and the burden on respondents
International Codes of Practice• European Statistical System Code of
Practice– Principle 2: Statistical authorities must
have a clear legal mandate to collect information for European statistical purposes. Administrations, enterprises and households, and the public at large may be compelled by law to allow access to or deliver data for European statistical purposes at the request of statistical authorities
National Codes of Practice
• Can reassure the public that data will only be used for specific and reasonable purposes
• Should be made available to the public, e.g. via the internet site of the national statistical institute.
OrganisationalFrameworks
Using Administrative Sources in Practice
The use of administrative sources is enabled by a legal framework, in the context of a policy framework
But - these are not usually detailed enough to cover all the administrative arrangements for access and use
What Else is Needed?
• Some sort of agreement:- Service Level Agreement (SLA)- Administrative Protocol- Contract- Informal or verbal agreement- Other type of agreement according to national customs and practices
Formal Agreements
• May not be legally enforceable, but are seen as a formal commitment
• Set out terms for the provision and use of data
• Signed by all parties
• Can cover one or more data flows (e.g. Government contracts)
Informal Agreements
• In a recent inventory, the British statistical system found it used over 1600 administrative data sets
• Many agreements were informal
• This increases the risk of problems, particularly if staff in either organisation move
Group Exercise
What information should be included in a formal agreement?
Agreement Contents 1
• Legal basis
• Names of persons transferring and receiving data
• Detailed description of data covered
• Frequency of data supply
• Quality standards
• Confidentiality rules
Agreement Contents 2
• Technical standards
• Provision of metadata
• Provisions for payment for supply data
• Period of agreement
• Contingencies for changes in circumstances
• Procedure for resolving disputes
Potential Challenges
• Financial agreements need to be negotiated
• Statistical institute may lack funds for data
• Suppliers may see data as having a commercial value
• Suppliers see no benefit to them
Possible Solutions
• Statistical law to give the statistical institute the right to obtain data
• Statisticians could offer expertise, analysis of data, or the use of statistical tools in exchange
• Coordination with other customers in the statistical institute or government could help to spread the cost
Quality Issues
• Data need to be ‘fit for purpose’
• Priorities of administrative sources and statistical offices differ
• Administrative bodies may spend little or no time on validation work, particularly on data items that are not key to their purpose
Quality Conditions
• Have to be acceptable to both sides
• Could include:– Content of records (e.g. number of
items incorrectly classified should be less than 2%)
– Frequency and timeliness
– Provision of metadata
• Machinery for dealing with disputes
TechnicalFrameworks
Technical Frameworks• Mechanisms for data transfer
– Paper– Magnetic media– Secure on-line connection
• File formats
• Data / metadata standards– XML– SDMX– GESMES
Case Study
Administrative Data for the British Statistical
Business Register
Legal Framework
• No Statistics Act
• Access to administrative data controlled by source-specific acts
• Subject to European Union legislation
• Legislation for the independence of the statistical office may increase access
Policy Framework
• Government policy favours more data sharing
• Requirement to cut costs and the burden on businesses
• Strong data protection legislation• Civil liberties groups suspicious of
government data sharing schemes
Policy Framework
• Codes of Practice– Britain applies international standards
– National Code of Practice
– Supported by protocols, e.g. Protocol on Managing Respondent Load
• Statistical business register is the gateway for all administrative micro-data on businesses
Organisational Framework
• Service Level Agreements with other government departments– reviewed annually– signed at director level
• Statistical analyses / tools provided in return (e.g. automatic coding software)
• Contracts with commercial data suppliers
Organisational Framework
• Data suppliers represented on business register management committee
• Improving working relationships across government - ‘Business Data Sharing Group’
Technical Framework
• Mostly quarterly copies of administrative registers on CD-ROM
• Government Secure Intranet link for daily updates from Value Added Tax
• Flat text files
• Metadata as separate tables
Data Sources
Four main administrative sources:
• Value Added Tax (VAT) data• PAYE (income tax) data• Company registration data• Company ownership data (from a private sector source - Dun & Bradstreet)
• Framework: VAT Act / Formal agreement
• Frequency: Daily, weekly, monthly
• Timeliness: Delivery within 5 days
• Quality: Good
• Delivery: Electronic via secure intranet
• Key content: Name, address, NACE, turnover
Value Added Tax Data
Income Tax (PAYE) Data
• Framework: Finance Act / Formal agreement
• Frequency: Quarterly
• Timeliness: Within 1-4 months
• Quality: Employment - good
Address - moderate
Classification - poor
• Delivery: CD-ROM
• Key content: Address, NACE, employment
Company Registration Data
• Framework: Contract• Frequency: Quarterly updates, continuous
on-line access• Timeliness: Good• Quality: Good• Delivery: CD-ROM / Internet • Key content: Legal name, company number
Dun & Bradstreet Data• Framework: Contract
• Frequency: Annual update, quarterlysupplement, continuous
on-line access
• Timeliness: Good
• Quality: Variable
• Delivery: CD-ROM / Internet
• Key content: Enterprise group links, foreign ownership codes
Group Discussion
What national frameworksdo you have in place?
How effective are they?