Functions and Responsibilities

Authority to Collect Information

Statistics Committee

Further Info 

Background

The Vanuatu Statistics Office is a Government department and is Vanuatu's official statistical agency. Its roles and functions are governed by the Statistics Act of 1983. The Department is headed by the Government Statistician whose responsibilities are also detailed in the Statistics Act.

Prior to the Comprehensive Reform Program which started in 1996, the Statistics Office was part of the National Planning Office, under the direction of the Prime Minister's Office. As a result of the Reform Program, the Statistics Office is now a separate Department under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM). 

VSO is now manned with fifteen permanent staff with six females and nine males. Previously the Office used to have more than twenty staffs plus staff who are recruited on a temporary basis. For more information about the VSO staff and what work they do within the Office, click here.

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Functions and Responsibilities

The function of the Department is to produce timely and accurate statistics about the economic and social characteristics of Vanuatu, for use by government departments, private institutions, businesses, overseas organisations, researchers, students and the general public.

Statistics produced by the department play an important role in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of government policies. This has become increasingly important as the Government is evaluating stage of the Comprehensive Reform Program.

According to the Statistics Act of 1983, the functions of the department are to :

• Collect, compile and analyse statistics;
• Advise on statistical undertakings;
• Coordinate statistical activities and data collections;
• Direct the release of statistics from other government agencies; and
• Assist with the collection and dissemination of statistics in Vanuatu. 

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Authority to Collect Information

Under Section 2,  Cap 83 of the Statistics Act of 1983, the Vanuatu Statistics Office is authorised  by  the Government Statistician to collect any statistical information within the scope defined by the Act. Authorised statistical officers are allowed by Section 4 of the Act to enter premises and collect information required from businesses and individuals. Section 6 of the Act authorises the Statistician to sue to court any individual or business which refuses to comply with the collection of official statistics.

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Statistics Committee

One of the elements in the Statistics Act of 1983 is the provision for the establishment of a Statistics Committee. While the Committee was included in the Act, it has not been active until recently. The committee was established in 2000 with the functions summarized as:

• Promote  - The committee will assist in directing the VSO towards achieving the goals and objectives of its work areas; 
• Advise - The committee will assist where necessary in providing advice in the overall operations of the VSO in carrying out its work activities;

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Further Information

Further information about the VSO can be found in its Business Plan, and its 2000 Annual Report to the MFEM available from the VSO. 

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