Chairperson, the ACDP would like to commend the Statistician- General, the Statistics Council and the staff for their commitment in providing accurate social and economic statistics on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis. The work of Stats SA is held in high regard, both domestically and internationally.
Many people do not realise the important role that Stats SA is playing in obtaining these official statistics. This information is used for evidence- based decision-making, information, planning, monitoring programme implementation and performance for research and historical value. This should also assist us as parliamentarians in monitoring a broad range of indicators from the economic sector, such as the levels of GDP growth, Consumer Price Index and Producer Price Index, employment and job creation, population dynamics, safety and security, and health and education - the whole spectrum of society. In the absence of statistical evidence, policy- making and oversight would be nigh impossible.
One of the concerns pointed out by Stats SA was the conflicting sources of information in health and education statistics, and that crime was only reported from administration records. There is no doubt a need to address these issues. Surveys were suggested, as well as ensuring interdepartmental co-operation to streamline crime, health and education statistics. This the ACDP supports.
As far as the census is concerned, clearly, the ACDP would like to express its full support. Accurate statistics regarding the size of the population will enable government to allocate services and resources better, particularly in the fight against poverty and unemployment. We fully support this. We also understand that, afterwards, all surveys will be measured against the statistics that the census produced. So, we as the ACDP call on all households to co-operate. Clearly, there will be a challenge to access the myriad informal settlements, apartments and security complexes. It is crucial for the public to know that the information will be kept secret and confidential and that those who collect the data are sworn to secrecy. We trust that this will address underreporting, particularly of illegal immigrants who may be afraid that if they provide information, they will be deported.
Lastly, it is crucial that we as South Africans must be able to rely on the accuracy and reliability of the data provided by Stats SA. The world has seen examples of countries where statistics are tweaked to make the government look better, as in the case of Greece and Tunisia. Thankfully, we can rely on our national statistics as they are protected from political interference and are monitored by the Statistics Council. That does not mean, however, that there shouldn't be proper oversight over Stats SA itself. We support calls in this regard. The ACDP will support this Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]