XN000022-1980-01-16 — Page 18

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1980

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IT WAS A VERY SUBSTANTIAL DOCUMENT AND CONTAINED A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS REQUIRING DETAILED CONSIDERATION BY HIS AND OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS WHICH WERE BEING CONSULTED. HE HOPED THE INTER-DEPARTMENTAL WORK COULD BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE NEXT THREE

MONTHS.

THE IR JOINT VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TOGETHER WITH THE REPORT WOULD THEN BE FORWARDED TO THE GOVERNMENT.

+PROVIDED THAT THE CONSULTANT'S REPORT IS FOUND TO BE ADEQUATE, THE INTENTION IS TO SEEK THE ADVICE OF EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AS TO THE NEXT STEPS TO BE TAKEN, HE SAID.

EIGHT STATISTICAL SURVEYS PLANNED FOR THIS YEAR

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EIGHT ORDERS MADE BY THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL, SIX AUTHORISING STATISTICAL SURVEYS ON ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND TWO AUTHOR ISING PILOT CENSUSES IN PREPARATION FOR THE MAJOR POPULATION CENSUS IN 1981 WERE TABLED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

THESE AUTHORISATIONS WERE THOSE THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS WAS LIKELY TO NEED FOR HIS WORK DURING THIS YEAR, THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, THE HON DAVID JEAFFRESON EXPLAINED.

MR JEAFFRESON SAID THE COMMISSIONER WAS UNDERTAKING A LONG- TERM PROGRAMME OF ECONOMIC SURVEYS AND IN A PARTICULAR YEAR THERE WAS A COMBINATION OF THEM:

* A BENCHMARK SURVEY — THE ONE THIS YEAR WOULD COLLECT

DATA IN RESPECT OF 1979 RELATING TO THE BUILDING, CONSTRUCTION (INCLUDING CIVIL ENGINEERING) AND THE REAL ESTATE SECTOR-

* SEVERAL ANNUAL FOLLOW-UP SURVEYS —— THREE THIS YEAR,

ON INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION FOR 1979, ON WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADES AND RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS, AND ON IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF SERVICES- AND

*

QUARTERLY AND MONTHLY SURVEYS TWO SERIES IN 1980, A QUARTERLY SERIES ON INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION, AND A MONTHLY SERIES ON RETAIL SALES AIMED AT PROVIDING UP-TO-DATE ASSESSMENT OF TRENDS IN CONSUMER DEMAND.

IN THE TWO REMAINING SURVEYS THIS YEAR - THE LAND AND MARINE POPULATION PILOT CENSUSES, ALL ASPECTS OF THE 1981 CENSUS WOULD BE TESTED, PARTICULARLY THE CENSUS CONTENT, FIELD ORGANISATION AND DATA PROCESSING, MR JE AFFRESON SAID.

+THE STATISTICS ADVISORY BOARD HAS ENDORSED THE OVERALL PLANS FOR THE VARIOUS ECONOMIC SURVEYS AND THE OVERALL POPULATION CENSUS PLAN WHICH INCLUDES THE TWO PILOT POPULATION CENSUSES, HE ADDED.

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