Statistical offices have among their staff and leaders many great statisticians and other kinds of experts, full of ideas and armed with wide-ranging skills. But this doesn’t mean that they are simply left on their own to produce statistics as they wish. On the contrary, as public servants every aspect of their work is governed by comprehensive laws. The plans, budgets and results of their work are subject to detailed scrutiny by elected officials and society at large.

Laws dealing with official statistics cover a huge range of areas: what constitutes ‘official statistics’, and the relationship between official statistics and government; how the chief statistician is appointed and removed from office; the responsibility for the budget of the entities in the statistical system. Laws also cover some of the more specific technical aspects of statistical production, such as how and when a census is conducted; the ways in which confidentiality is maintained, as we saw when principle 6 was under the spotlight; the rights and duties of the statistical office to access data sources collected by others; and many more.

Statistical legislation is important for two main reasons: to ensure the quality of the statistical work, and to maintain society’s trust in the independence and quality of the statistics. For such trust to be earned, the laws governing official statistics have to be not only strong but transparent. The public should be able to find out exactly what the rules are and how they are put into practice. Statistical offices publish or guide people to statistical laws via their websites. They also make available reports on compliance with the laws and annual reports that show how public money has been used. Statisticians in many countries report to public hearings, statistical councils, parliamentary or ministerial committees, to offer regular transparent access to information about how they uphold statistical legislation or to debate content when new statistical laws are developed.

The Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia

Press release on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics originally published at this link

Office for National Statistics of the United Kingdom

Watch video from the National Statistician of the United Kingdom, Sir Ian Diamond, and the President of the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Stepan Mnatsakanyan, joined by statistics producers worldwide in support of Principle 7