Sponsorship on Quality
The final report
Zsuzsanna Kovács
Expert Group Meeting on
National Quality Assurance Frameworks
UNSD, New York, 28-30 September 2011
Introduction
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Created in 2009 under the co-chairmanship of Statistics Norway
and Eurostat
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3 working areas
– Theme I. Quality framework and the Code of Practice
– Theme II. Quality assurance framework
– Theme III. Communicating quality
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Final report presented at the meeting of the European Statistical
System Committee on 28 September 2011 by Hans Viggo Sæbø,
Director of Planning and Finance, Statistics Norway
Major European quality initiatives
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Working Group on Quality set up in 1998
Leadership Group (LEG) on Quality -> 2004
The European Conferences on Quality 2001 – 2012 ->
European Statistics Code of Practice 2005 ->
– Self assessments 2005
– Peer reviews 2007 – 2008
– Annual follow up by Eurostat and ESGAB
• New European Statistical Law 2009
• Sponsorship on Quality 2009 – 2011
• Communication 211 “Towards robust quality management for
European Statistics” in 2011, planned revision of the Law
ESS Sponsorship on Quality
Mandate
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To promote a common view and understanding of ESS quality
management
To recommend possible modifications of the Code of Practice
To provide recommendations on how to proceed with quality work in ESS
Work programme
Final report
Meetings with ECB, ESAC and ESGAB. Discussions in ESSC January
and May 2011
Main conclusions
Theme I. Quality framework and the Code of Practice (CoP)
• Some modifications to CoP – but changes are limited
• New quality declaration as a preamble to CoP
Theme II. Quality assurance framework (QAF – draft working doc.)
• Recommended methods/tools to implement the CoP
indicators 4 and 7 - 15
• Reference documentation
Theme III. Communicating quality
• Review of ESS recommendations and requirements on quality reporting
• Review of the content of quality reports, including quality indicators (separate task
force)
• Implementation of websites declaring compliance with the CoP
New peer reviews have been considered, possibly
from 2013, focusing on major statistical authorities and
all principles in selected domains at an institutional level
Theme I. Proposed CoP modifications
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Quality declaration as a preamble: Vision, mission and reference to
general quality management principles
Better distinction between Eurostat, NSIs and other producers of
statistics if applicable
Alignment with Reg. 223/2009
Alignment with the ECB Statistical Quality Framework (separate
Task Force)
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Quality commitment: Principle 4 and its indicators
A few more indicators, in particular to reinforce professional
independence, better cover statistics based on administrative data,
to promote standardisation and communication of quality
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Some editorial changes
New input from ESSC, ESAC and ESGAB since May 2011
Theme III. Communicating quality
Main recommendations:
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Distinction of producer and user oriented quality reports
Single metadata structure to be used to derive both
Methodological Manual to be prepared to support the structure
and the template
Use of common ESS IT tools
User oriented reports to be disseminated to the wide audience
while producer oriented ones to the producers
Regular interaction with the target groups
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• Compliance with the CoP should be widely communicated via
specific web pages
Next steps
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The European Statistical System Committee will discuss the
Sponsorship on Quality Report and its recommendations.
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The ESSC is invited to adopt the revised CoP and to give guidance
on how the QAF and recommendations in the Report should be
followed up
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Once the revised CoP has been adopted, it will set the standard for
future statistical development, including the planned revision of the
Statistical Law and the development of Commitments on
Confidence in Statistics with Member States