NSO questionnaires cost businesses €691,680
Businesses in Malta fork out €691,680 every year when answering National Statistics Office surveys, NSO chairman Reno Camilleri said during a presentation at the annual conference of the directors-general of the national statistical institutes of EU...
Businesses in Malta fork out €691,680 every year when answering National Statistics Office surveys, NSO chairman Reno Camilleri said during a presentation at the annual conference of the directors-general of the national statistical institutes of EU member states.
The conference was entitled: Experience In Measuring The Burden On Business.
Mr Camilleri's paper, entitled: Some Implications Of EU Requirements Regarding The Statistical Burden Imposed By Small NSIs On Their Respondents - The Case Of Malta, emphasised that although the "response burden" is a problem for national statistics institutes all over the world, it is far more so for small countries such as Malta.
In his presentation, Mr Camilleri mentioned two factors which make a country's small size problematic:
"The first is the proneness to the effects of external developments which, albeit relevant to all countries, affects small countries relatively more than large ones. As far as NSIs are concerned, one important consequence of this is the increased variability in the phenomena being measured, implying more intensive monitoring efforts on the part of NSI staff, and which may also necessitate extensive revisions, which can have a negative effect on the public perception regarding the accuracy and reliability of published statistics.
"The second is the lack of representativeness of samples being taken from small statistical populations, especially with regard to surveys among business enterprises. In small countries this is typically characterised by a high concentration of the market in the hands of a relatively small number of firms - this is one of the main causes of a high response burden as certain respondents can only be replaced by others with difficulty in surveys, or not at all," he said.
Mr Camilleri said the past few years have seen an increasing awareness at the NSO regarding the "statistical response burden" imposed on the population, especially on enterprises.
He told the conference that the NSO had already commissioned a report by a private expert on how to rationalise the "response burden" by simplifying surveys. The report identified some key problem areas, such as the structural Business Survey, with one recommendation being that structural information could be requested at less frequent intervals.
The National Statistics Office currently carries out some 45 surveys across different statistical areas; 40 per cent of these are annual, 20 per cent are quarterly, 18 per cent are biennial and 13 per cent are monthly.
When translated on an annual basis, these translate into around 120,000 questionnaires distributed among a population of 405,000, a ratio of 1:3.5.
Overall, the poorest response rates are recorded from business enterprises in inquires such as the innovation survey, short-term business statistics and the business register.
Mr Camilleri said an estimated 48,000 questionnaires are sent out, calculated on an annual basis, among an enterprise population of 36,000. Considering the time taken to fill in different survey forms, this translates into 28,820 person-hours per year. At an average hourly rate of €24, this adds up to a labour cost of €691,680 per year. The bulk of this burden falls on micro businesses which make up 96 per cent of Maltese enterprises.
An estimated 24,000 questionnaires are sent out, calculated on an annual basis, among 140,000 households. Considering the time taken to fill in different survey forms, this translates into some 10,000 hours annually.
The paper said that the NSO is considering a number of measures to ease the burden of collecting data such as the rationalisation of survey forms - which would include the simplification and possibly the reduction of information requirements; making the maximum use of alternative sources of information - for example getting data from social security departments instead of asking respondents for information on social contributions made and social benefits received; regularly reviewing sample sizes; increasing the possibility of online completion of questionnaires; and considering a "pay-back" concept in which businesses are no longer charged when requesting statistics - considering that they repeatedly provide information compiled at a considerable cost to them.
Mr Camilleri explained that most survey-based projects are required due to EU information obligations. Mr Camilleri said the NSO therefore looks to the European Statistical System to provide a serious forum for discussion, and consequent action, on the special problems faced by small NSIs regarding the statistical burden borne by respondents.
Mr Camilleri makes it clear, however, that the NSO is aware that "the burden of reducing response burden" is its responsibility. It says it is not daunted by this prospect and mentions that the Peer Review Report (the report drawn up by a private expert) recommended the setting up of a quality management unit in charge of coordination and the monitoring of the quality of NSO statistical products, in line with European Statistical System quality standards.
Mr Camilleri also points out that the government is at present undertaking a drive to build capacity within the public administration for the improvement of regulatory quality and the reduction of burdens on citizens and business enterprises.
He also said that the Freedom of Information Act in Malta is due to become law in 2009. "Hopefully the prospective enactment of the Act will spur government departments and authorities, as well as NGOs, towards putting their house in order as far as administrative record keeping is concerned.
"This will surely benefit the NSO as it will then be easier for it to negotiate deals for access to information, thus enabling it to diversify from survey approaches while at the same time ensuring a constant and reliable data supply," he said.
The conference was entitled: Experience In Measuring The Burden On Business.
Mr Camilleri's paper, entitled: Some Implications Of EU Requirements Regarding The Statistical Burden Imposed By Small NSIs On Their Respondents - The Case Of Malta, emphasised that although the "response burden" is a problem for national statistics institutes all over the world, it is far more so for small countries such as Malta.
In his presentation, Mr Camilleri mentioned two factors which make a country's small size problematic:
"The first is the proneness to the effects of external developments which, albeit relevant to all countries, affects small countries relatively more than large ones. As far as NSIs are concerned, one important consequence of this is the increased variability in the phenomena being measured, implying more intensive monitoring efforts on the part of NSI staff, and which may also necessitate extensive revisions, which can have a negative effect on the public perception regarding the accuracy and reliability of published statistics.
"The second is the lack of representativeness of samples being taken from small statistical populations, especially with regard to surveys among business enterprises. In small countries this is typically characterised by a high concentration of the market in the hands of a relatively small number of firms - this is one of the main causes of a high response burden as certain respondents can only be replaced by others with difficulty in surveys, or not at all," he said.
Mr Camilleri said the past few years have seen an increasing awareness at the NSO regarding the "statistical response burden" imposed on the population, especially on enterprises.
He told the conference that the NSO had already commissioned a report by a private expert on how to rationalise the "response burden" by simplifying surveys. The report identified some key problem areas, such as the structural Business Survey, with one recommendation being that structural information could be requested at less frequent intervals.
The National Statistics Office currently carries out some 45 surveys across different statistical areas; 40 per cent of these are annual, 20 per cent are quarterly, 18 per cent are biennial and 13 per cent are monthly.
When translated on an annual basis, these translate into around 120,000 questionnaires distributed among a population of 405,000, a ratio of 1:3.5.
Overall, the poorest response rates are recorded from business enterprises in inquires such as the innovation survey, short-term business statistics and the business register.
Mr Camilleri said an estimated 48,000 questionnaires are sent out, calculated on an annual basis, among an enterprise population of 36,000. Considering the time taken to fill in different survey forms, this translates into 28,820 person-hours per year. At an average hourly rate of €24, this adds up to a labour cost of €691,680 per year. The bulk of this burden falls on micro businesses which make up 96 per cent of Maltese enterprises.
An estimated 24,000 questionnaires are sent out, calculated on an annual basis, among 140,000 households. Considering the time taken to fill in different survey forms, this translates into some 10,000 hours annually.
The paper said that the NSO is considering a number of measures to ease the burden of collecting data such as the rationalisation of survey forms - which would include the simplification and possibly the reduction of information requirements; making the maximum use of alternative sources of information - for example getting data from social security departments instead of asking respondents for information on social contributions made and social benefits received; regularly reviewing sample sizes; increasing the possibility of online completion of questionnaires; and considering a "pay-back" concept in which businesses are no longer charged when requesting statistics - considering that they repeatedly provide information compiled at a considerable cost to them.
Mr Camilleri explained that most survey-based projects are required due to EU information obligations. Mr Camilleri said the NSO therefore looks to the European Statistical System to provide a serious forum for discussion, and consequent action, on the special problems faced by small NSIs regarding the statistical burden borne by respondents.
Mr Camilleri makes it clear, however, that the NSO is aware that "the burden of reducing response burden" is its responsibility. It says it is not daunted by this prospect and mentions that the Peer Review Report (the report drawn up by a private expert) recommended the setting up of a quality management unit in charge of coordination and the monitoring of the quality of NSO statistical products, in line with European Statistical System quality standards.
Mr Camilleri also points out that the government is at present undertaking a drive to build capacity within the public administration for the improvement of regulatory quality and the reduction of burdens on citizens and business enterprises.
He also said that the Freedom of Information Act in Malta is due to become law in 2009. "Hopefully the prospective enactment of the Act will spur government departments and authorities, as well as NGOs, towards putting their house in order as far as administrative record keeping is concerned.
"This will surely benefit the NSO as it will then be easier for it to negotiate deals for access to information, thus enabling it to diversify from survey approaches while at the same time ensuring a constant and reliable data supply," he said.