The Malta Statistics Authority
The Malta Statistics Authority Act XXIV
was enacted by Parliament in 2000.
The main
objective of the Malta Statistics Authority (MSA) is to ensure that official statistics which are produced independently by its executive arm, the National Statistics Office, are reliable, robust, timely and impartial. Additionally, the MSA has the duty to ensure that official statistics are compiled according to internationally harmonised methodologies, for the benefit of the Government of Malta, the European Union, international organisations and the general public.
In accordance with the Statistics Act, the members of the MSA Board have to be technically competent in the field of statistics. The Chairman and two other members are appointed directly by the Minister responsible for statistics. Among the other members, one is the Director General of the National Statistics Office (ex officio) while four are appointed after a consultation process with the following organisations:
§ The Central Bank of Malta (CBM) ,
§ The Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD), and
§ The University of Malta (UoM).
Each entity has the right to appoint one member to the Board with the exception of the MCESD which appoints two, one representing the trade union movement and the other the business community. This formula is particular to Malta and has proved successful in generating trust and acceptance of official statistics, as it is based on a vision that encompasses society as a whole.
The Authority has a distinct legal framework, and the legal and judicial representation is vested in the Chairperson, currently Prof. Albert Leone Ganado.