Does the production of official statistics need to be a separate branch of Government or should it remain within the Executive Branch of Government

摘要

The title of session poses a very clear question, namely: is it necessary for the production and dissemination of official statistics to be undertaken outside the Executive Branch of Government (EBG) in order to ensure, on a sustainable basis, their impartiality and freedom from untoward interference from political, administrative and other stakeholders? This is not a new question but it has become more pertinent in recent years as official statistics have become more relevant to the work of Government and indeed, more generally, to the functioning of society in the modern information age.