Central Banks and Statistical Offices – Partnership in sharing data for good statistics: Implementing the G20 recommendations on sharing and accessibility of granular data Presented by Dr Pali Lehohla Statistician General

Statistical responsibilities Range of monthly, quarterly, annual, periodic economic and social statistics SNA: GDP, SUT, SAM GFS: Income and expenditure of local government. Expenditure of provincial and national government, as well as non-budgetary institutions, higher education etc. Balance of Payments (feeds into Stats SA national accounts) SNA: Institutional sector accounts (real and financial) GFS: Public sector accounts

4 year joint training project Smooth transition Moving the GDP Expenditure from SARB to Stats SA 70 years practice 4 year joint training project Smooth transition Changed our relationship  

GDP debriefing post mortems Memorandum of Understanding in place Data sharing User groups GDP debriefing post mortems Provide access to unpublished data (but not prior to embargo) Membership of user-group of all surveys (changes to questionnaire etc)

Promoting the use of common statistical identifiers Stats databases based on taxation records, modified to our own statistical units model for sampling purposes Have not explored linking Stats SA databases with SARB databases Issue of Illicit Financial Flows is leading towards this. Need to link SARB data with SARS foreign trade data Common use of SIC5 within SANSS Stats SA provided SARB with a list of large businesses (frame) for its Balance of Payments survey

Data confidentiality key to the reputation of statistical office Balancing confidentiality and users’ needs Data confidentiality key to the reputation of statistical office No mechanism in place to share unpublished granular data (unit records) Current legislative reform needs to introduce mechanisms for wider distribution of granular data for policy uses, subject to a range of criteria (not yet defined). Provide more detailed CPI for improved inflation forecasting Other requests for unpublished data handled on a case-by-case basis, no preference given to SARB

Collection of data only once Stats SA STRONGLY supports this notion Stats SA comparative advantage for data collection (real sector) and SARB expertise on financial sector and analysis/policy Interesting case of SARS having the foreign trade stats; require tri-party arrangements; examination of data quality concerns

Collection of data only once Moving the GDP Expenditure statistics from SARB to Stats SA already resulted in stopping a SARB survey on capital formation Positive feedback from respondents of Stats SA Quarterly Financial Statistics as they no longer have to complete two similar questionnaires

G20 data gap; SARB lead agency, two areas where Stats SA assists: Collection of data only once G20 data gap; SARB lead agency, two areas where Stats SA assists: Residential property price indices (research was halted due to financial constraints Household income and expenditure (part of Stats SA core business) Illicit financial flows a new avenue requires alliance of Revenue Services, Reserve Bank and Stats SA

Collection of data only once Thank You!