XN000022-1983-05-10 — Page 4

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 1983

AS A RESULT OF THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE THUS GAINED, THE PROGRAMME SHOULD NOW BE MODIFIED, HE ADDED.

IN FUTURE, BENCHMARK CENSUSES WOULD NOT BE UNDERTAKEN WHILE THE SIMPLE ANNUAL SURVEY WOULD CONTINUE, WITH A SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TOPICS OF SPECIAL INTEREST FROM YEAR TO YEAR, HE EXPLAINED.

THE REDESIGNED PROGRAMME WOULD ALSO ACHIEVE A CORRESPONDING SAVING IN STAFF AND REDUCE THE REPORTING BURDEN ON BUSINESS RESPONDENTS, MR GREENFIELD POINTED OUT.

+THE NEW SYSTEM WILL COME INTO OPERATION NEXT YEAR, AND ONCE WE HAVE GAINED THE EXPERIENCE OF RUNNING THIS, ALONG WITH OTHER CONCURRENT DEVELOPMENTS, FURTHER SAVINGS MAY BE ACHIEVABLE IN, SAY, FIVE OR SIX YEARS' TIME, HE SAID.

MR GREENFIELD ALSO REPORTED A FURTHER MAJOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE DEPARTMENT'S ESTIMATES OF THE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT.

TO DATE, THE BEST GDP ESTIMATES HAD BEEN FROM THE SO-CALLED +EXPENDITURE APPROACH+, SHOWING THE GDP BROKEN DOWN INTO ITS COMPONENTS BY PRIVATE AND GOVERNMENT CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE, CAPITAL FORMATION AND OTHER RELATED DATA, HE SAID.

AN ALTERNATIVE WAY TO GDP ESTIMATES IS THROUGH THE +PRODUCTION APPROACH+, WHICH BASICALLY SUMS THE PROFITS OF BUSINESSES AND WAGES AND SALARIES, GIVING WHAT STATISTICIANS CALL +VALUE ADDED+.

MR GREENFIELD DISCLOSED THAT BY NEXT YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO RELEASE COMPLETE GDP ESTIMATES USING THE PRODUCTION APPROACH.

+THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS IS THAT WE WILL THEN HAVE REGULAR ESTIMATES SHOWING THE INDUSTRIAL ORIGIN OF THE GDP. AND HOW IT IS CHANGING, WHILE, IN ADDITION, WE WILL HAVE AN INDEPENDENT CHECK ON THE ESTIMATES PRODUCED THROUGH THE EXPENDITURE APPROACH.

+BECAUSE THE COMPILATION OF GDP ESTIMATES DRAWS ON DATA FROM A LARGE NUMBER OF SOURCES OF VARYING QUALITY, IT IS MOST DESIRABLE THAT AN INDEPENDENT CHECK SHOULD BE AVAILABLE,+ MR GREENFIELD SAID.

STRESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF STATISTICS, MR GREENFIELD SAID THEY ASSISTED THE GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS TO PLAN EFFICIENTLY FOR THE FUTURE AS WELL AS PROVIDED THE PUBLIC WITH THE INFORMATION NECESSARY TO ASSESS THE GOVERNMENT'S PERFORMANCE.

+THEY ARE A CRUCIAL ELEMENT OF A DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM, + HE ADDED.

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