Deadline for comments: 6 July 2007
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ESA/STAT/AC.129/6
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This template allows you to record your comments on draft International
Recommendations for Industrial Statistics (IRIS) easily and, at the same time, makes it easy for us to use your comments in considering revisions to the draft. You may complete any one, any two, or all of the three parts of the template.
Save this template and send it as an attachment to the following e-mail address: singh46@un.org
For reference, the International Recommendations for Industrial Statistics 1983 can be accessed at http://unstats.un.org/unsd/publication/SeriesM/SeriesM_48rev1E.pdf
In the space below, please provide any general comments, such as about the format of presentation of new recommendations (30 words or less).
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1. Introduction
In your review of draft Introduction chapter, you may wish to devote particular attention to the passages listed below. There is space after each issue for any comment you wish to make.

(i) The use of infrequent benchmark enquiry for the collection of general-purpose production statistics in a 5 to 10 year interval is no longer advocated. Do you agree?
(ii) The reasons for revision in the IRIS are mentioned in para 18 wherein references have been made to changes in concepts, definitions and terminology in other major international publications and regulations of other international organisations. Is this reference exhaustive?
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2. Chapter I: Scope of industrial Statistics
In your review of Scope of industrial Statistics , you may wish to devote particular attention to the issues listed below. There is space after each issue for any comment you wish to make.
(i) The scope of the industrial activities has been extended to include activities of sewerage (division 37), waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery (division 38) and remediation activities and other waste management services (division 39). Do you agree with the extended scope?
(ii) In conformity with the 1993 SNA production boundary, all units engaged in industrial activities have been recommended to be covered in the collection of industrial statistics. Should
quasi-corporations of government and
undifferentiated goods and services-producing activities of households for own use (division 98) be included in the scope of the present recommendations or global adjustment for these be made by national accountants?
(iii) Following your comments made earlier on the draft outline of the present document, enterprise statistics on income and financial transactions and financial assets and liabilities have not been included in this draft. Do you agree with this?
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3. Chapter II: Statistical Units
A new chapter has been added to reflect different statistical units in the collection of industrial statistics. Do you think:
(i) Addition of this chapter is useful? and
(ii) Coverage of the chapter is adequate?
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4. Chapter III: Characteristics of Statistical Units
The characteristics of statistical units presented in the IRIS1983 have been organized into a separate chapter. Do you think:
(i) This is useful?
(ii) Coverage of the chapter is adequate?
(iii) Do you suggest any other characteristics of the statistical unit to be included?
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5. Chapter IV: Data items and their definitions
(i) The data items and their definitions have basically been maintained from the previous recommendation. However, data items have been added and definitions revised to reflect the update of the 1993 System of National
Accounts. Moreover, data items are included to extend the link to the environment and environmental accounting. Do you agree with this extension?
(ii) Data item on leased employment has been added (item 2.5). Do you think it is useful?
(iii) The value of output and the value added have been recommended to be compiled at the basic prices (the prices recorded in business account revenues) as against the producers’ prices in the 1983 recommendations (which also include product taxes collected on behalf of the government). Do you agree with the change?
(iv) Data items relating to use of water and waste water both in quantity and costs
(item 5.6) have been included. Do you think the industrial enquiry is the appropriate instrument for collection of such information?
(v) Intellectual property (IP) products (comprising research and development, mineral exploration and evaluation, computer software and databases) are part of the capital formation. Own-account development of IP products for own use need to be imputed on cost basis (please refer to the note at the end of the data items on page 54). Should this imputation be done by industrial statisticians as part of the industrial statistics or by national accountants as part of the national accounts statistics?
(vi) List of Industrial Products forms the basis for the data collection on industrial commodity production statistics carried out by the United Nations Statistics
Division. This list has been referred to in relation to data item 6.1(i) at page
78. It is proposed to include this list of products with their definition as Annex to this publication. Do you agree?
(UN List of Industrial Products, available at http://unstats.un.org/unsd/industry/commoditylist2.asp?s=0 )
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6. Chapter V: Performance indicators
This is a new chapter.
(i) Is the addition of this chapter useful to international recommendations?
(ii) At what level of ISIC (2 or 3 digits) the performance indicators should be compiled? (para 5.9)
(iii) Any additional indicator(s) should be added?
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7. Chapter VI: Data sources and data compilation methods
This is a new chapter that has been added to assist countries identify different sources of data and compilation methods to help implement the international recommendations on industrial statistics.
(i) Do you think addition of this chapter is useful?
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8. Chapter VII: Data collection strategy
This is a new chapter discussing data collection strategy for industrial statistics based on an integrated approach covering production units across all class sizes including micro and small enterprises.
(i) Is the addition of this chapter useful?
(ii) Any additional data collection strategy to be included?
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(iii) Should methods to gross up industrial data to the total economy level for units not in the business frame in monthly and quarterly surveys be discussed?
What are the best approaches one should take?
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9. Chapter VIII: Dissemination of industrial statistics
This is a new chapter added to provide guidance on dissemination of industrial statistics allowing analysis of the dynamics, structure and growth by size classes.
(i) Do you agree with the list of annual and quarterly dissemination variables identified for international reporting?
(ii) At what level of details the information on the identified dissemination variables for annual and quarterly reporting be asked for, namely; (a) ISIC level (3 or 4 digit), type of legal organization and ownership (para 3.30) and size (para 3.35)?
(iii) For illustration purposes tabulation formats for reporting of industrial statistics have been included in Annex 3. Should it form part of the present publication?
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You are welcome to make other comments on the document. Please do so directly on the word file of the draft document.
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