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| Integrity of the Singapore Statistical System |
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The Singapore statistical system maintains the highest professional standard in terms of data quality, integrity and transparency. This standard is built upon the guiding principles provided by two international frameworks.
Firstly, as an active member of the international statistical community, Singapore upholds the United Nations’ Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (see Box 2). In January 1999, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), in association with the Singapore Department of Statistics and IMF-Singapore Regional Training Institute, hosted a “Working Session on Best Practices in Statistics”. The Singapore Department of Statistics, UNSD and Statistics Department of the IMF also jointly organised the “Consultative Seminar on Governance of National Statistical System” in May 2002. These international activities addressed strategic issues on the organization and management of statistical systems.
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Box 2: United Nations' Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics
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| I |
Official statistics provide an indispensable element in the information system of a democratic society, serving the government, the economy and the public with data about the economic, demographic, social and environmental situation. To this end, official statistics that meet the test of practical utility are to be compiled and made available on an impartial basis by official statistical agencies to honour citizens' entitlement to public information.
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| II |
To retain trust in official statistics, the statistical agencies need to decide according to strictly professional considerations, including scientific principles and professional ethics, on the methods and procedures for the collection, processing, storage and presentation of statistical data.
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| III |
To facilitate a correct interpretation of the data, the statistical agencies are to present information according to scientific standards on the sources, methods and procedures of the statistics.
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| IV |
The statistical agencies are entitled to comment on erroneous interpretation and misuse of statistics.
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| V |
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.
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| VI |
Individual data collected by statistical agencies for statistical compilation whether they refer to natural or legal persons, are to be strictly confidential and used exclusively for statistical purposes.
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| VII |
The laws, regulations and measures under which the statistical systems operate are to be made public.
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| VIII |
Co-ordination among statistical agencies within countries is essential to achieve consistency and efficiency in the statistical system.
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| IX |
The use by statistical agencies in each country of international concepts, classifications and methods promotes the consistency and efficiency of statistical systems at all official levels.
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| X |
Bilateral and multilateral co-operation in statistics contributes to the improvement of systems of official statistics in all countries.
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Secondly, since August 1996, Singapore has subscribed to the Special Data Dissemination Standards (SDDS) established by the International Monetary Fund. The purpose of the SDDS is to guide member countries in the provision of comprehensive, timely, accessible and reliable economic and financial statistics to the public. The SDDS comprises four dimensions, namely, coverage, periodicity and timeliness; access by the public; integrity of the disseminated data; and quality of the disseminated data (see Box 3). For each of these dimensions, the SDDS prescribes two to four good dissemination practices. Singapore’s current statistical policy for dissemination is in line with these prescriptions. Singapore met all SDDS requirements at the time of its subscription in January 2001.
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Box 3: Summary of the Special Data Dissemination Standards
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| 1 |
The data: coverage, periodicity, and timeliness :
Comprehensive economic and financial data, disseminated on a timely basis, are essential to the transparency of macroeconomic performance and policy.
Dissemination of economic and financial data categories (as relevant for the country), with the components, the periodicity, and the timeliness indicated.
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| 2 |
Access by the public :
Dissemination of official statistics is an essential feature of statistics as a public good. Ready and equal access are principal requirements for the public, including market participants.
- Advance dissemination of release calendars
- Simultaneous release to all interested parties
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| 3 |
Integrity :
To fulfill the purpose of providing the public with information, official statistics must have the confidence of their users. In turn, confidence in the statistics ultimately becomes a matter of confidence in the objectivity and professionalism of the agency producing the statistics. Transparency of its practices and procedures is a key factor in creating this confidence.
- Dissemination of the terms and conditions under which official statistics are produced, including those relating to the confidentiality of individually identifiable information.
- Identification of internal government access to data before release
- Identification of ministerial commentary on the occasion of statistical releases.
- Provision of information about revision and advance notice of major changes in methodology.
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| 4 |
Quality :
A set of standards that deals with the coverage, periodicity, and timeliness of data must also address the quality of statistics. Although quality is difficult to judge, monitorable proxies, designed to focus on formation the user needs to judge quality, can be useful.
- Dissemination of documentation on methodology and sources used in preparing statistics.
- Dissemination of component detail, reconciliations with related data, and statistical frameworks that support statistical cross-checks and provide assurance of reasonableness.
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Last updated: 21 Aug 2007
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