Statistics Advisory Committee - Terms of Reference

To advise NI Departments on all matters relating to the collection and disclosure of statistical information from businesses under the Statistics of Trade and Employment (NI) Order 1988; and to advise on issues such as quality assurance, National Statis-tics, Codes of Practice and such matters as may be referred to it by departments.

SCOPE

The Statistics of Trade and Employment (NI) Order 1988 empowers NI Departments to conduct surveys of businesses and to prosecute companies who fail to comply with requests for data.  It also contains important balances and checks which ensure that the burdens placed on businesses are not excessive.  The main way in which this balancing is operationalised is through the independent SAC whose role is to ad-vise NI Departments on all matters relating to the collection and disclosure of statisti-cal information from businesses under the Order.  The legislation also includes a sub clause which states that the Committee can also advise in relation to ‘such matters as may be referred to it by departments’.  The Committee will also provide advice on issues such as quality assurance, National Statistics, Codes of practice etc.