Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1694840993278.pdf (Malta)
IT-TLETTAX-IL LEĠIŻLATURA P.L.

108 Dokument imqiegħed fuq il-Mejda tal-Kamra tad-Deputati fis-Seduta Numru 7 tat-30 ta’ Ġunju 2017 mill-Ministru għall-Enerġija u l- Immaniġġar tal-Ilma, f’isem il-Ministru għall-Finanzi.

___________________________ Raymond Scicluna Skrivan tal-Kamra Annual Report 2016 National Statistics Office, Malta 2017 Published by the National Statistics Office Lascaris, Valletta VLT 2000 Malta Tel.
: (+356) 2599 7000 e-mail: nso@gov.mt website: http://www.nso.gov.mt CIP Data Annual Report 2016 / National Statistics Office, Malta.

- Valletta: NSO 2017 xii, 52p.
ISBN: 978-99957-29-61-5 NSO publications are available from: Dissemination Unit National Statistics Office Lascaris Valletta VLT 2000 Malta Tel: (+356) 2599 7219 Printed in Malta at the Government Printing Press C O N T E N T S Page Acronyms and Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................................... v Letter to the Chairman ............................................................................................................................................... ix Mission Statement ..................................................................................................................................................... xi Director General’s Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS STATISTICS .......................................................................................................................... 5 National Accounts ................................................................................................................................................. 7 Public Finance ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 Balance of Payments .......................................................................................................................................... 11 International Trade Statistics .............................................................................................................................. 12 Price Statistics .................................................................................................................................................... 14 Structural Business Statistics ..............................................................................................................................
16 Short-term Statistics ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Environment, Energy, Transport and Agriculture Statistics ................................................................................. 19 Business Registers .............................................................................................................................................. 20 SOCIAL STATISTICS ..................................................................................................................................................... 21 Living Conditions and Culture Statistics .............................................................................................................. 23 Labour Market Statistics ..................................................................................................................................... 24 Population and Tourism Statistics ...................................................................................................................... 26 Education and Information Society Statistics ...................................................................................................... 28 Regional and Geospatial .................................................................................................................................... 29 DATA CAPABILITY ....................................................................................................................................................... 31 Methodology and Research ................................................................................................................................. 33 IT System ............................................................................................................................................................ 35 Data Management
35 Data Management ............................................................................................................................................... 37 SUPPORT SERVICES ..................................................................................................................................................... 39 Personal and Budgetary Matters ........................................................................................................................ 41 Risk Management and Compliance .................................................................................................................... 48 Dissemination Unit............................................................................................................................................... 49 External Cooperation and International Affairs Unit ............................................................................................. 51 Acronyms and Abbreviations Adult Education Survey Automated Revenue Management Services Ltd Building Industry Consultative Council Balance of Payments Balance of Payments Manual Business Register Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing Community Road Accident Database Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing Central Bank of Malta Centre for Development Research and Training Code of Practice Classification of Products by Activity Culture Participation Survey Director General AES ARMS BICC BOP BPM BR CAPI CARE CATI CBM CDRT CoP CPA CPS DG Directorate-General for Budget DG BUDG Data Management Unit Data Structure Definition European Commission European Central Bank DMU DSD EC ECB Electronic Dataflow Administration and Management Information System e-DAMIS Excessive Deficit Procedure Electronic Form EuroGroups Register Environmental Goods and Services Sector Economic Policy Department Environmental Protection Expenditure Accounts EDP eForm EGR EGSS EPD EPEA European System of Accounts European Statistical System European Statistical System Committee ESA ESS ESSC European System
 of Integrated Social Protection Statistics ESSPROS European Statistical Training Programme European Union ESTP EU Statistics of Member States' trade in goods with non Member States EXTRASTAT Financial Intermediation Indirectly Measured Foreign Affiliates Statistics Framework Regulation Integrating Business Statistics Gross Domestic Product Government Finance Statistics Geographic Information Systems Geographical Information System of the European Commission Gross National Income Generic Statistical Business Process Model Gross Value Added Household Budgetary Survey Household Finance and Consumption Survey Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices House Price Index Information and Communication Technology Integrated European Social Statistics International Investment Position International Labour Organisation International Monetary Fund FISIM FATS FRIBS GDP GFS GIS GISCO GNI GSBPM GVA HBS HFCS HICP HPI ICT IESS IIP ILO IMF Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community INSPIRE Statistics of Member States' Trade in Goods with other Member States INTRASTAT Index of Services Production ISP Italian National Institute of Statistics Information Technology International Trade in Goods Statistics Job Vacancy Survey Local Administrative Units Labour Force Survey Ministry for Finance Malta Financial Services Authority Malta Government Investments Malta International Airport Malta Information Technology Agency Malta Statistics Authority Monthly Unemployment Rates ISTAT IT ITGS JVS LAU LFS MFIN MFSA MGI MIA MITA MSA MUR Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community NACE National Accounts Unit National Statistics Office Nomenclature des Units Territoriales Statistiques Occupational Health and Safety Authority Owner-Occupied Housing Price Index Producer Price Index Purchasing Power Parities Providers of Statistical Information Property Volume Index Quality Management Framework Research and Development Research Centre for General Contracts
 Retail Price Index Structural Business Statistics Special Data Dissemination Standard NAU NSO NUTS OHSA OOHPI PPI PPP PSI PVI QMF R&D RCG RPI SBS SDDS Statistical Production System Architecture Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange Structure of Earnings Survey Statistics on Income and Living Conditions Single Market Statistics Services Producer Price Indices Short-term Statistics Supply, Use and Input-Output tables Territorial Classifications and Typologies United Nations SPSA SDMX SES SILC SIMSTAT SPPI STS SUIO TERCET UN United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO Value Added Tax Valletta Participation Survey VAT VPS 10 May 2017 The Chairman Malta Statistics Authority In accordance with the provisions of subsection 5(g) of the Malta Statistics Authority Act XXIV of 2000, I hereby submit to you this report on the operations of the National Statistics Office for the year ended 31 December 2016.
Reuben Fenech Director General MISSION STATEMENT “Produce high-quality statistics and analysis for better decision making in Malta.” CORE VALUES Independence Produce statistics and analysis that are free from external influence.

Objectivity Present a true and factual picture of economic and social spheres through our statistics.
Dependability Commit ourselves to produce quality statistics and nurture our reliability by delivering on expectations of the public sector, the business community and civil society.

Honesty Stand firm by what is right, being truthful, open, clear and coherent.
Director General’s Introduction During 2016, the NSO continued to provide the Government, the business community and society at large, vital information, analysis and statistics, on which policy makers, public and private entities, and families, based their decisions.

Continuing on the trend established in previous years, the NSO issued 209 news releases.

While remaining committed to producing a wide range of reliable indicators, the Office’s concerted effort was focused on the HBS.
Apart from the publishing of news releases on a daily basis the NSO has, during 2016, published the following publications:     Shift Employment in Malta 2015; Social Protection: Malta and the EU 2015; Demographic Review 2014; and Agriculture and Fisheries 2014.

All publications have been made available online on the NSO website (www.nso.gov.mt), free of charge.

In line with the office’s objective of reaching a wider audience, a number of initiatives were taken.
With the exception of the Agriculture and Fisheries 2014, all other publications issued throughout the year were complemented with the ‘salient points’ on our website.

This measure was meant for those users who either do not have the time to go through the entire document or else find the content of the publication too technical.

Furthermore, the artwork for the Shift-Employment in Malta 2015 and the Social Protection: Malta and the EU 2015 was outsourced to make our publications more appealing.
Another initiative was the development of NSO’s first interactive online product enabling population comparisons between different localities and regions in the Maltese Islands.

This was launched together with the Demographic Review 2014.

The office also produced the paper: Supply, Use and Input-Output Tables 2010.

This important and elaborate economic tool, which serves as a circuit showing the interlinking between industries, was launched in May 2016.
The document garnered a lot of interest, prompting the organisation of a seminar on the subject.

The event, intended to provide valuable insight about the compilation and use of the tool, was held in June.

Another concrete example of the office’s commitment of assisting users in the interpretation of information was the seminar: Statistics and the Media held in February 2016.
The event was an opportunity to help members from the media and users engaged in public relations to familiarise with the statistical output produced by the office.

National Statistics Office, Annual Report 20161 Throughout the year, regular meetings were held with users and data providers, notably the CBM, the EPD and the MFIN.

Meetings were also held with the Office’s main data suppliers, including the MFSA and the Jobsplus.
Ad-hoc meetings were also held with ARMS, Enemalta, Enemed, BICC and other ministries.

Organisation Structure A number of changes in the organisation structure were put in place during the year to ensure the Office is well positioned to meet its future commitments.

The changes included the creation of the Population and Migration Unit and the extension of the Regional Statistic Unit to develop the geospatial capability of the office.
However, the most notable change was the setting up of the Data Management Unit, responsible for the data collection process of the entire Office.

The centralisation of data collection is being implemented in stages to ensure that the change doesn’t disrupt the day-to- day running of the office.

This is considered to be a cornerstone of the Transformation process that will eventually lead to the setting up of a data warehouse.
Social Media In the beginning of 2016 a Twitter account was set up with the aim of highlighting the main points of all documents issued by the Office.

More activity on Facebook was also registered during the year.

In the second quarter of 2016 a LinkedIn account was created, mainly to promote career opportunities at the office.

Peer Review In 2015, Eurostat carried out their periodic Peer Review of the statistical system in Malta.
Most of the recommendations put forward in the report were taken on board.

One of the improvement actions fulfilled by the office was the development and subsequent launch of the intranet which is facilitating internal communication within the office.

EU Presidency 2017 Preparations for Malta to preside over the Council Working Party on Statistics in the first half of 2017 progressed smoothly in 2016.
This is a very important role for the NSO as it will be coordinating the EU law-making process as regards to statistical legislation.

While strengthening the networks with EU Member States, notably with the Netherlands and Slovakia, and keeping abreast with the progress registered in a number of legislative files, the Office developed a website in order to share material related to the Working Party on Statistics.

The website was operational in December 2016.


2National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 Transformation Project During the year, the foundations for the Statistical Production System Architecture were laid.

The project entails developing the architecture which departs from the silo mentality towards a more centralised and integrated approach.

The idea is to have a centralised system by means of a data warehouse which would include tools to cater for the majority of the office’s needs.
The project is expected to take between 3 to 5 years to complete.

Appreciation The year has been a very important one for the NSO as a number of initiatives that set its course for the years to come have been successfully implemented.

I would like to thank the members of the MSA Board for their continuous support and the employees for their commitment.

2017 will be followed by more transformation as we build the NSO of tomorrow.

The task at hand is as arduous as much as is required.
However I feel positive that through our clear vision, and effective strategy implementation, we shall succeed in bringing the NSO at the heart of the policy making process to help Malta make better decisions.
National Statistics Office, Annual Report 20163 ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS STATISTICS NATIONAL ACCOUNTS The National Accounts Unit in 2016 addressed the pending reservation on FISIM due in September 2016 and was actively involved in a seminar on input-output tables held in July 2016 following a publication on the subject in May 2016.

In May 2016 the unit made an extraordinary transmission of Table 24 for 1995 to 2002 following a request for all countries by the PPP team in Eurostat.
The unit also hosted an audit mission by Eurostat and DG Budget on the VAT own resources in October.

Routine activities which include the publication of five news releases, four GDP releases and a release on Non-Financial Accounts by Institutional Sector Accounts continued as planned.
The unit was also engaged in the following tasks:  the integration of the Structural Business Survey of 2014 and Remote Gaming for 2014 in December 2016;  the compilation of weights for the annual purchasing power parities’ (PPP) exercise, including reports on VAT, rents and tips in the service industries;  the annual GNI questionnaire and its supporting quality report for the EU’s own resources purposes;  the calculation of the weighted average rate for the VAT own resources exercise, VAT compensation tables and the respective reports which are then provided to DG Budget;  implementation of SDMX and DSDs in National Accounts according to ESA 2010 covered by   grant agreement No.
04121.2015.002-2015.173 (Action 3 – Project 4); the compilation of GSBPM covered by a grant agreement; and analysis of the household sector by industry and introduced further refinements in the sub- division of the private sector between non-financial and household sectors.

The final report for Grant Agreement No.

04121.2015.002-2015.173 relating to the project on GNI Inventories and Process Tables submitted in March 2016 and has been approved.
National Statistics Office, Annual Report 20167 In its compliance report the EU classified data transmitted by Malta as “complete data delivery” (Eurostat C2/NAWG/905).

In June 2011, the Commission submitted a draft decision of the Council on the system of resources of the European Union for 2014-20 as regards Council Decision 2007/436/EC, Euratom of 7 June 2007 on the system of the European Communities’ own resources.
The decision, which was adopted by the Council in May 2014, was ratified by all Member States in 2016 and will apply retroactively with effect from 1 January 2014.

Malta has been granted a number of derogations with respect to the legal requirements set by Regulation (EU) No.

549/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European system of national and regional accounts (ESA) in the European Union.
These derogations are listed in the Commission Implementation Decision on granting derogations to Member States with respect to the transmission of statistics pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 549/2013.

These derogations are time-barred until 2016 as was the case with input-output tables, others up to 2017 and 2020.
8National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 PUBLIC FINANCE The Public Finance Unit is responsible for the compilation and dissemination of statistics related to the GFS, with the highlight being the compilation of the Malta’s General Government surplus/deficit and debt levels, as established by the Maastricht Criteria.

The unit compiled the annual and quarterly non-financial account, financial account and debt of the General Government Sector in line with the ESA 2010 requirements.
Other important domains within the unit are the compilation of the Social Protection Account and the Research and Development for the Government and Higher Education sectors.

All the produced data were transmitted to Eurostat and published locally in twenty-six new releases.
The highlight was the Eurostat standard EDP dialogue visit to Malta on 8-10 June 2016 in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) 479/2009 of 25 May 2009 (as amended by Council Regulation (EC) 679/2010) on the application of the Protocol on the excessive deficit procedure annexed to the Treaty establishing the European Community.
The main purpose of the visit was to ensure the provisions of Eurostat’s Manual on Government Deficit and Debt, as well as, Eurostat’s decisions are duly implemented in the Maltese EDP and GFS data.

Almost eighteen out of a total of twenty-two action points have already been tackled.
In relation to the compilation of Malta’s accrued-to-date pension liabilities, the unit continued with the provision of the necessary data for the micro model to the Albert-Ludwigs-Universitate Freiburg, specifically the RCG, who are assisting the NSO in this Eurostat funded project.

A workshop was held in Malta on the 10-11 October by the RCG consultant working on this project.
The workshop was attended by the main stakeholders: Central Bank of Malta, Pension Strategy Group, Social Security Department, Economic Policy Department and the Treasury.

The plan is to finalise the project in 2017.


This year’s annual publication “Social Protection: Malta and the EU 2015” has been revamped with a new design and layout and with the inclusion of a new section where the social security benefits for National Statistics Office, Annual Report 20169 2014 were grouped into seven ESSPROS function and classified per district and locality.

Data were then mapped using GIS by the Regional Statistics Unit.
In preparation for the expiration of a Eurostat derogation (September 2017) on the back series (1995 to 2003) of the annual financial accounts for the total economy, the unit compiled the 2003 general government sector financial accounts.

There are plans to compile the missing series in the first half of 2017.

The responsibility of the compilation of these tables are shared with the CBM.
The main challenges in 2017, apart from the main tasks of the Unit, are:  Cooperation with the IT Systems Unit in the development of three software applications (databases) for the following domains: Research and Development for the Government and Higher Education sectors, Social Protection statistics (ESSPROS) and the non-financial accounts of the General Government sectors.
 Finalisation of the project on the compilation of Malta’s accrued-to-date pension liabilities for the years 2012-2015, with transmission to Eurostat of Table 29 by the end of 2017.

10National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 BALANCE OF PAYMENTS The Balance of Payments Unit is responsible for the collection and reporting of the International accounts for the Maltese economy.
The international accounts for an economy summarise the economic relationships between residents of that economy and non-residents.
They comprise the following: (a) the international investment position (IIP) - a statement that shows at a point in time the value of: financial assets of residents of an economy that are claims on non-residents or are gold bullion held as reserve assets; and the liabilities of residents of an economy to non- residents; (b) the balance of payments (BOP) - a statement that summarizes economic transactions between residents and non-residents during a specific time period; and (c) the other changes in financial assets and liabilities accounts - a statement that shows other flows, such as valuation changes, that reconciles the balance of payments and IIP for a specific period, by showing changes due to economic events other than transactions between residents and non-residents.
The BOP methodology changed in 2014 and data was being requested in line with the new methodology as per the sixth edition of the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual.

A series of manual interventions are undertaken with every submission in order to convert data from BPM5 methodology to BPM6.

Any instances of non-compliance with the current regulation are expected to be rectified upon the implementation of the INFOSTAT programme.
Apart from improving the current work procedures and comply with the latest BOP methodology, such an implementation is expected to reduce manual intervention.

Moreover, it will make it possible for our respondents to submit their returns online and thus reduce manual inputting.
National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201611 INTERNATIONAL TRADE STATISTICS As in past years, the unit was actively occupied with its primary task to compile, check and disseminate on a monthly basis international trade statistics in a timely manner and according to the pre-announced dates in the News Release Calendar published on the NSO web portal.
Trade data are collected from two main sources: the Supplementary Declaration System (Intrastat) covering trade between EU Member States, and the CES covering Extra-EU trade (Extrastat).

The unit is also responsible for the development, compilation and analysis of trade statistics.

Transmissions to Eurostat of aggregated and detailed files pertaining to both trade flows were also made according to the established deadlines.
During the first months of the year, the unit was asked to provide a Maltese language version of a Eurostat online questionnaire and a covering letter in Maltese to cater for an EU-wide survey on Intrastat Administrative Burden.

Around 1,400 e-mails explaining the scope of the consultation were sent to businesses submitting Intrastat declarations.

This action was followed up by a reminder and a number of telephone calls with the aim to maximise the response rate.
The unit participated in two ITGS Steering Group meetings in March and October in Luxembourg.

The October meeting mainly covered the finalisation of the ITGS related provisions of the FRIBS basic act and discussed the way forward for ITGS provisions for the FRIBS implementing and delegated acts for the coming year.

The unit also attended to the 9th meeting of the ESS.VIP.IT Task Force and the 12th SIMSTAT project Task Force meeting held jointly in February.
The joint meeting marked the end of the work carried out with 19 other participating Member States in an ESSnet Pilot SIMSTAT project.

Updated trade data was also provided on an Ad Hoc and ongoing basis to a substantial number of users from both the private and public sectors which also include the Economic Policy Department and the Central Bank of Malta.

Updated merchandise trade data was regularly provided on a monthly basis to the IMF's SDDS.
Throughout the year, the unit has continued with its work in offering its PSIs any help they may have required.

This activity is always carried out with a supportive attitude which 12National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 helps our external users to appreciate the NSO as a valid institution despite the perceived burden of providing statistical data.

The unit strives to provide trade statistical data in the shortest possible time to both internal and external users.
Concurrently with the unit's routine tasks a number of additional initiatives were carried out with financial help made available through a Eurostat Grant and also through MITA.

The unit has successfully finalised one such Grant.

The action's main goal was to provide for a technological upgrade of the then current trade system.

It involved the migration of the Trade System to a web environment for an enhanced internal and external users' experience.
After the completion of this action in April 2016, MITA embarked on the upgrade of the INTRASTAT web portal which was eventually successfully deployed during mid September.

Extensive testing was carried out before its deployment and issues which became evident on the live environment were ironed out as quickly as possible to minimise system disruptions.

Over 95% of Intra-EU trade data is collected through this web portal on a daily basis.
National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201613 PRICE STATISTICS The Prices Statistics Unit is mainly responsible of the: The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP); The Retail Price Index (RPI); The Purchasing Power Parities (PPP); The House Price Index (HPI); and The Owner-Occupied Housing Index (OOHPI).

The compilation of RPI and HICP indices is undertaken on a monthly basis.

As from January 2016, the index reference period for HICP was changed to 2015=100 (as per Commission Regulation 2015/2010).
In conjunction, the unit continued with its transmission of HICP data to Eurostat on a regular basis.

Throughout the year, the unit carried out the surveys and tasks which fall under the PPP project.

As for the housing statistics including the HPI and OOHPI, PPI and PVI, these were compiled on a quarterly basis.

Twenty- five news releases were issued.

The unit has focused on its new obligation (as from 2017) to start producing HICP flash estimates.
This process consisted of: identifying the core indices, setting up and testing a production system of flash estimates with the aim of producing and transmitting high quality preliminary inflation figures to Eurostat.

Due to its increasing demand, the unit felt the need to start compiling a database for rents, mainly consisting of residential properties being rented on a long-term basis.
For this purpose, a number of real estate agencies have been contacted in order to inform them about the scope of this project and the type of data being requested.

Rental data being requested mainly comprise of variables gathered at the signing of rental contracts, such as property type, number of bedrooms and nationality of the tenant among others.

Meetings were also held one-to-one with each and every agency.
Almost all agencies have showed willingness to collaborate and thus, providing rental data on a monthly basis.

As a matter of fact, by the end of year, the unit received the first batch of data from some agencies.

14National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 At the moment, both social and market rents prices are gathered through CATI interviews.

The possibility of using alternative sources is being explored.
As from October 2016, the unit was focused on the update of the RPI weights and new reference period December 2016=100.

The basket of consumption items considered for the RPI is reviewed periodically, in line with the HBS during which information of household consumption is collected over a 12-month period in order to obtain an estimate of the average household expenditure.
The information collected through the HBS exercise is then further supplemented by additional data sources to get to the final RPI weights.

Moreover, the RPI basket was also revised to include more significant items and exclude the less important ones.

The RPI news release will be presented in a new format starting off from next year.

The re-referencing for the HPI and OOHPI is planned to be carried out with the publication of Q1/2017 data.
The unit had to rebase the indices for the entire series for the HPI and OOHPI with reference year 2015=100.

Subsequently, these were provided to Eurostat for validation.

National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201615 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS The Structural Business Statistics Unit is responsible for the data collection, compilation and dissemination of business statistics data based on macroeconomic variables for the local scenario.
The unit also compiles data on FATS involving the activities of foreign subsidiaries resident in Malta (Inward FATS) and subsidiaries abroad controlled by Maltese Controlling Institutions (Outwards FATS).

All related data files were compiled, treated for confidentiality and transmitted to Eurostat.

SBS and FATS data were compiled for the 2014 reference year.

An Outward FATS News Release for the period between 2012 and 2014 was published at the end of the year.
The unit was involved in the data collection regarding the question on design of products or services from enterprises.

During the third and fourth quarters, the unit launched the data collection process for the Family Business Survey – a study financed by the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses.

The unit also completed all the related quality reports and requests from stakeholders.
Although not mandatory by Eurostat FATS Regulation, outward FATS data for 2014 was transmitted with secondary confidentiality treatment together with the primary confidentiality (which is mandatory).

The unit replied to a number of ad-hoc requests from external stakeholders – some of which are received annually as well as other written consultations mainly from Eurostat.
The unit prepared for major changes to the SBS 2015 questionnaire version and the respective data- entry application due to product breakdowns for both purchases and turnover sections requested from two production units.

Moreover, additional requirements requested by Eurostat resulted in a revised CPA breakdowns for Business Services activities, aggregation of the special aggregates and changes in other series transmitted.
As a result of both requirements (internally and externally), more detailed information was requested to respondents on the variables (purchases and turnover) based on the revised version of the statistical CPA.

For the same reason, the sample size for SBS 2015 data increased to reach the targeted response rate since the data will be analysed at a more detailed level than in previous years 16National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 based on NACE Rev.

2 Divisions, Groups and Classes.


These tasks were essential to launch the data collection in the last quarter of 2016.

As a continuation from previous years, more SBS 2014 data cells were made available to users since the data was published at a higher level of confidentiality for the percentage dominance of one or two enterprises which dominate the data.

Discussions on the implementation of the statistical units – enterprise within SBS and other business statistics continued as Eurostat level.
Further work and updates are expected next year.

The unit will keep abreast with the latest developments and work on the preparations requested to handle the transition process smoothly.

National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201617 SHORT-TERM STATISTICS The Short-Term Statistics Unit is mainly responsible for the production of several early indicators that illustrate the most recent evolution of the Maltese economy.
These indicators describe the themes of production, producer prices, turnover, employment, hours worked, wages and salaries and building permits.

Data are published in index form and cover the domains of industry, construction, retail trade and services.

They are produced in unadjusted, working-day adjusted and seasonally adjusted forms.
The unit met all its numerous local and international deadlines and published 32 news releases and sent over 100 data transmissions to Eurostat on a monthly and quarterly basis.

Monthly news releases were published for the Index of Industrial Production and the Industrial Producer Price Index while quarterly ones were issued for the Industrial and Services Indicators.
Furthermore, the unit also successfully carried out a wide review of its technical and procedural work, aiming to increase efficiency, build on its current strengths and address any weaknesses.

Changes emanating from the review will be gradually implemented during 2017 and 2018.

Overall, the compliance score at EU level improved to 9.5/10.
The non-compliance relating to the Service Producer Price Indices continued to be tackled and the work for NACE 62 (Computer Programming) was completed and sent to Eurostat for the first time.

Work relating to FRIBS also continued to move ahead and the unit is now collecting the services turnover on a monthly basis instead of quarterly.

What follows is the compilation of related monthly services turnover index.
The unit’s priorities for 2017 will be:  To review sampling strategy with the Methodology unit;  To re-base and re-reference indices to 2015=100;  To re-design STS news releases;  To continue the work on the SPPI project; and  To continue the implementation of the FRIBS requirements.
18National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY, TRANSPORT AND AGRICULTURE STATISTICS The unit is responsible for the collection, compilation and dissemination of various datasets related to different domains.

The main domains comprise water, waste, environmental accounting, energy, transport, land, fruit and vegetables, animals and animal products, fish landings and aquaculture.
These datasets are regularly maintained and updated annually to comply with Eurostat’s regular reporting obligations, as outlined through the relevant directives and regulations.

The data are also compiled to satisfy national requirements.

Besides, during 2016 the unit published a total of 19 news releases that covered most of the above topics on a quarterly or annual basis according to the domain.

During 2016, the unit conducted the Farm Structure Survey according to Regulation (EC) 1166/2008.
The majority of the data transmitted to Eurostat were sent within the deadlines stipulated in the respective Regulation.

In the last quarter of 2016, a new Regulation (EU) 1952/2016 on European statistics on natural gas and electricity prices came into force.

This regulation has replaced Directive 2008/92/EC.

The first reporting data referring to Semester 1 of 2017 will be transmitted to Eurosat by the end of September 2017.
In 2017, we will start to set up the system needed to compile data for the EGSS and EPEA modules according to Regulation (EC) 535/2014.

Besides these two modules, work regarding the Environmental subsidies and similar transfers shall start in 2017.

The unit will conduct a CATI survey to collect information on the energy consumption in households.
The unit is also committed to work with Transport Malta, Police and Health Department to update the road accidents data in the CARE road safety database which is the European centralised database.

National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201619 BUSINESS REGISTERS The BR is an exhaustive list of all registered legal units in Malta.

Business demographic data is taken directly from the BR and transmitted to Eurostat.

The BR is the main statistical database used in survey designs.
The Business Registers Unit continued maintaining certain specific areas at the legal unit level.

Over 1,000 new legal units per month were included in the register and an initial questionnaire was mailed to obtain structural characteristics on these legal units.

A considerable improvement in terms of timeliness and coverage was achieved fulfilling the Central Credit Register requirements.

The BR is also now part of the “Simplification” project (managed by Malta Enterprise).
This first phase of this project was launched in September 2016 enabling businesses to register through an e-form and finalise the process within 3 days.

On another level the BR also forms part of the EGR, which is a network of business registers used for statistical purposes in the EU Member States.

This register focuses on multinational enterprise groups.

EGR foreign links need to be identified through the EGR is, a tool managed by Eurostat, in order to obtain a complete group structure.
The unit finalised the Innovation Survey 2014, covering the three-year period 2012-2014.

The scope of this survey is to collect information across the business sector on new or significantly improved products or processes and organizational or marketing methods.

Innovation statistics are collected from enterprises employing 10 or more persons, covering a number of sectors, including the service industries.

Approximately 2,000 enterprises were surveyed.


The Business R&D survey collects data on research carried out by the private sector.

Final 2014 and provisional data for the 2015 R&D survey were transmitted to Eurostat, meeting the official deadlines set.

Innovation and R&D indicators are an integral part of the 2020 targets set by the EU.

The BR also embarked in a project of profiling complex groups structures.
20National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 SOCIAL STATISTICS LIVING CONDITIONS AND CULTURE STATISTICS The Living Conditions and Culture Statistics Unit is responsible for the provision of statistics on the living conditions of the Maltese households like the household income distribution, housing conditions, material deprivation and the rate of people that are at-risk-of-poverty.
One must also mention that unit was responsible for the collection and analysis of the HBS 2015, for which the data collection was concluded in early 2016 and the unit started the analysis phase by mid 2016.

The other area for which the unit is responsible is Culture Statistics, meeting the requirements of the Creative Economy Working Group within the Ministry of Finance, the Valletta 2018 Foundation, Eurostat, UNESCO and other related institutions.
Primarily, the unit focused on the EU-SILC survey and the HBS.

The achievements registered in these areas vis-a-vis the European requirements are that the SILC data were successfully transmitted to Eurostat and the HBS survey was finalised.

It has to be noted that the latter, even though it was carried out in a harmonised way across European countries in 2015, till now this survey is not regulated.
The unit also engaged in a number of local projects, especially related to the culture statistics area, such as the VPS 2016, commissioned by the Valletta 2018 Foundation and the CPS 2016 in collaboration with the Arts Council Malta and the Valletta 2018 Foundation.

Moreover, the unit dealt with a number of requests on the EU-SILC.

The major challenges foreseen in 2017 will be the analysis of the HFCS, which is a survey commissioned by the Central Bank of Malta.
Another challenge will be to respect a tighter transmission schedule of the EU-SILC.

Eventually shorter deadlines will be a requirement when the new IESS framework regulation will come into force.

In order to reach this target, the plan is to have an automated system which accelerates the specific processes.

National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201623 LABOUR MARKET STATISTICS The Labour Market Statistics Unit is entrusted with the collection and publication of data concerning the world of work.
The information which is produced by this unit is retrieved from both administrative as well as survey data.

The unit produces monthly releases on registered employment and registered unemployment using information provided by Jobsplus.

Two other administrative sources used are the Department of Social Security and the OHSA which provides information on accidents and fatalities at work.

A number of surveys are regularly run to monitor different aspects of the labour market.
One of the main surveys which has been carried out since the year 2000, is the LFS.

This enquiry is so far the largest household survey covered by the NSO and has the objective of splitting the 15+ population into three mutually exclusive categories, namely, employed, unemployed and inactive.

Information generated from this survey is transmitted and published on a quarterly basis.

The unit sustained the transmission of LFS data in 10 weeks.
This implies that national data is being provided 2 weeks ahead of the 12-week transmission deadline established by EU Regulations in force for this enquiry.

In addition, a publication on shift employment was also produced.

This kind of product was almost totally worked out using LFS data and was a first at national level on the subject of atypical working conditions.
Using a combination of LFS and Jobsplus data on employment and unemployment, the unit also successfully managed to finalise the methodology concerning the production of ILO harmonised monthly unemployment rates.

The methodology which was developed by the unit itself, was fine- tuned following expert assistance from ISTAT using a Eurostat-financed grant.

The current production of MURs published by Eurostat, are based on modelling performed at EU level using administrative and LFS data.
Following the conclusion of the grant and after a period of months of monitoring and replicating the methodology, the Unit intends to produce these rates independently and to transmit them to Eurostat.

24National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 Another milestone worth mentioning is the JVS, which was extended to cover units employing 1 or more persons.

Prior to 2016, the survey only covered units employing 10 or more persons.
When extending the coverage of the survey, the JVS became more aligned with EU regulations which require Member States to collect data on units employing 1 or more persons.

It is expected that during 2017 the first set of results for this target group will be made available.

Another deliverable relates to the analysis and transmission of the SES, which is another enterprise- based survey with a four-year frequency.
The target group of this survey are enterprises employing 10 or more persons and operating in NACE Sections B to S excluding O.

During the 2014 wave of the SES, the optional economic activity NACE Section O (Public administration and defense, compulsory social security) was covered for the first time, thus making the survey more relevant to a wider spectrum of the economy.
National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201625 POPULATION AND TOURISM STATISTICS The Population and Tourism Statistics Unit is responsible for the compilation and dissemination of statistics on tourism and population.

Tourism is measured both from the demand and supply side.

In order to collect information on tourism demand, the unit carries out an ongoing frontier survey at the MIA and at the Seaport.

Survey results are primarily used to satisfy local needs for tourism statistics.
The inbound tourism news release is published monthly while outbound tourism indicators are released on a quarterly basis.

Supply-side statistics on tourism are collected from the suppliers of tourism services.

The main scope of this exercise is to measure the occupancy levels in hotels, guesthouses and hostels.

A census of accommodation establishments is carried out, and the findings are published in a monthly news release.
The unit also collects information on National Tourism by means of a quarterly CATI survey and administrative data on Cruise Passengers from Transport Malta.

One of the main responsibilities that fall under the remit of the unit is the compilation of total population counts based on updates from the latest Population and Housing Census.

Thus, each year the unit produces estimates of total and Maltese population counts by gender, age and locality for the previous year.
The unit also coordinates with various government departments to obtain information on important demographic events, including data on births, deaths, adoptions and regular and irregular migration, used for updating the total population distribution.

In addition, data on marriages, separations and divorces were collected.

Detailed information on population and demographic events is published on an annual basis in the Demographic Review publication.
The unit has achieved full compliance with respect to:  Regulation 692/2011 on tourism statistics  Regulation 1260/2013 on European demographic statistics  Regulation (EC) 862/2007 on migration and international protection 26National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 The unit published two major monthly news releases on tourism statistics, namely Inbound Tourism and Collective Accommodation Establishments and an additional two quarterly news releases on Outbound Tourism and Cruise Passengers.
Moreover, work on a Feasibility study on the “usual residence” definition funded through a EUROSTAT grant was concluded.

The unit also compiled and disseminated two news releases on demographic statistics, namely World Population Day and World Refugee Day.

The Demographic Review 2014 publication was released on the NSO website on 4 July 2016.
The main challenges ahead are:  Enhancing coverage of tourism statistics (feasibility studies on collection of more detailed information on Cruise passengers and Marinas).

 News releases on Regional Tourism Demand (inbound and domestic tourism).

 Preparation for 2021 Census and post-Census strategy – continuous collaboration with EUROSTAT through engagement in Working Groups.

Development of Census 2021 and post-Census 2021 strategy, in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
ESTP training on the use of administrative sources for census.

 Taking over and updating processes of register of households and persons – Internal meetings with stakeholders for effective handover.

Analysis of existing procedures and feasibility of implementing them on regular basis.

Analysis and testing of new processes for enhancements.
EUROSTAT ESS.VIP Admin grant for the improvement of the use of administrative sources with specific application to managing and updating the register of households and persons.

 Improvement and enhancement of migration statistics – Implement and test enhancements aimed at improving the quality of estimates of migration flows.

ESTP training on estimation and reconciliation methods for migration statistics.
In the last quarter of 2016, a new unit entirely focused on ‘Population and Migration Statistics’ was established.

National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201627 EDUCATION AND INFORMATION SOCIETY STATISTICS Work in the field of Education Statistics focused on fulfilling Malta’s information obligations with Eurostat.

In line with the requirements laid down in EC Regulation No.

912/2013, data collection was carried out at all levels of education and among all institutions offering home grown courses.
The unit was committed to improve the overall quality of these statistics.

To this end, more resources were dedicated to the data analysis phase of the process.

Apart from fulfilling all transmission obligations with Eurostat, locally there were four news releases shedding light over education.
More specifically the unit issued information about: student enrolments and classes, graduates and the different areas of specialisation, absenteeism, and specialised schools teaching English as a foreign language.

The ICT Usage and e-Commerce in Enterprise Survey and the ICT Usage in Households and by Individuals Survey are the source of all the information disseminated by the office related to the Information Society Statistics.
These surveys are conducted by the unit following strict guidelines laid down in EC Regulation No.

808/2004.

The data collected from these surveys undergo thorough quality and consistency checks before they are transmitted to Eurostat.

In case of the ICT Enterprise survey only aggregated data were transmitted while data gathered through the ICT Households survey was submitted anonymised at micro level.

Locally, ICT Statistics were released in two dedicated news releases: one for each domain.
The team working on Tourism statistics joined the unit, thus forming a newly merged unit: Tourism, Education and Information Society Statistics towards the end of the year.

28National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 REGIONAL AND GEOSPATIAL The unit focused on the development and strengthening of regional data and statistics across key statistical domains reflecting national and international objectives and priorities.
Progress and improvements featured in the following:  Education and Labour Market Statistics;  Regional Gross Value-Added Statistics;  Tourism and Transport Statistics;  Renewable Energy and Urban Audit Statistics;  TERCET - 1Km2 grid Typology Classifications, INSPIRE Directive and Geospatial Statistics.

The level of detail and frequency of statistical output varied across themes, in the main reflecting the availability and robustness of data sources.
Territorial classifications of regional statistics comprised NUTS 3 (2 regions), LAU 1 (6 districts) and LAU 2 (68 localities) levels.

The unit participated in three EU meetings1 related to the field of Regional and Geospatial Statistics.

Key developments comprised improvements with respect to regional (NUTS 3) employment and GVA statistics together with sustained progress related to the field of geospatial statistics.
Such enhancements clarified important regional aspects related to commuter flows, covering mobility between the place of residence and place of work - LAU 2.

The unit became the official contact point with Eurostat on matters related to geospatial statistics and in collaboration with relevant production units was responsible for new commitments related to TERCET initiative and INSPIRE directive.
The increased specialisation on regional statistics was crucial for data users as most of the intranational research and analysis is connected to prevailing circumstances across regions, districts and localities.
New topics were introduced, namely the non-compulsory education (childcare and 1 Meeting included: Working Group on Regional, Urban and Rural Development Statistics, October 2016 (Luxembourg); Working Group on Integration of Statistical and Geospatial Information (GISCO), March 2016 (Luxembourg); and National Urban Audit Coordinators Meeting, May 2016 (Brussels).
National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201629 early years in Malta) and the regional labour supply across NUTS 3 regions by place of residence and work.

The more frequent use of GIS mapping enabled the NSO to produce more accessible and understandable information for the users at large.
Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/2066 of 21 November 2016 amending the annexes to Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) was adopted.

Changes had no specific impact on the position of MALTA.

In addition, significant progress was registered with respect to TERCET initiative2.
The unit has the mandate to continue strengthening its horizontal functions within the Office and target improvements in the statistical sources and output at regional level, particularly in terms of coverage, efficiency and definition.

The unit will maintain current achievements and target to restore statistics longitudinally, namely with respect to current break-in-series in regional employment and GVA statistics.
In addition to publishing the Regional Statistics Publication 2017, the unit is targeting to produce additional output related to regional and geospatial statistics in collaboration with counterpart units, namely with respect to education and tourism statistics.

An important challenge relates to the development of a geocoded buildings and population register in collaboration with key stakeholders, both internal and external.
2 The proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 as regards the territorial typologies (Tercet) was adopted by the Commission on 14 December 2016.

30National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 DATA CAPABILITY METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH The central task of the Methodology and Research Unit is to assist other units within the NSO on areas related to methodology and quality.
This work normally includes the provision and assessment of samples, validation of survey data and questionnaires, anonymisation of survey data and employment of metadata models.

The unit was involved in the compilation and verification of process-related metadata in GSBPM form.
In line with the NSO’s commitment to quality, the unit has initiated work to develop a QMF as a tool for bringing quality at output and process levels as well as to streamline the administrative data used by domain units in their work.
Consequent to the harmonised implementation of European metadata standards in various forms, and the development of a comprehensive repository of statistical concepts and definitions used at the NSO, the systematic documentation of statistical work processes in GSBPM form were compiled and verified.
In line with main objectives of the ESS Vision 2020 on the key area of quality, the development of the QMF strengthens compliance with the ESS CoP through the application of fit-for-purpose tools that enhance quality assurance.

In addition, with respect to harnessing new data sources, the unit has engaged in work that aims at bringing an improved use of administrative data sources and their integration with the statistical production system.
The repository of statistical concepts used at the NSO, made available on the NSO’s metadata website (https://nso.gov.mt/metadata/), provides users with definitions of each concept; an exhaustive list of related variables; and information on different domains that refer to such concepts.

In addition, users can get a good overview and download the main statistical classifications referred to in the statistical production systems.
Relevant links to the metadata website are included on the methodological section of News Releases disseminated by the office.

National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201633 The implementation of amended provisions to Article 5a of Regulation (EC) 223/2009 on National guidelines for quality reinforces the need of having national quality guidelines.

Such guidelines are an important building block for strengthening coordination within the NSO and ensuring the quality of all European Statistics.
The development of the QMF closely attends to the needs of such amendments.

A thorough evaluation of the statistical business process documentation (with particular focus on processes related to methodological soundness) will permit the unit to outline action plans that focus on various methodological aspects and assess the adequacy of current practices.

These include the re-engineering of statistical work processes in terms of methodologies.
This work will involve consultations with domain units and research on domain specific requirements.

Similarly, work on the QMF will require numerous cross-unit consultations to ensure that the proposed guidelines are comprehensive of the majority of processes used at the NSO.
In relation to improving the use of administrative data sources, the unit will take actions with respect to quality and metadata aspects, identification of unique identifiers, discovery of new sources that can be potentially integrated into the statistical production system, and reviewing/setting-up of cooperation agreements.

The internal quality checklist carried out by the unit will facilitate the initial identification of a stock of quality issues that need to be addressed.
34National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 IT SYSTEMS The role of the IT Systems Unit within the NSO was to support the organisation in IT related matters.

Throughout the period under review, the main focus of the unit remained software development and desktop support.
Alongside this function the unit took the lead on two extraordinary projects, one aimed at stepping up information security practices within the Office while the other project shall bring about a complete overhaul of the IT architecture of the organisation.

A total of twenty software applications were developed by the IT Systems during the twelve months under review.

Six of the applications produced were designed for CATI.
The remaining projects consisted of windows based applications for that to cover one or more stages of the statistical production chain.

Software completed in 2016 includes a suite of IT tools for the AES where interviewers collected data onsite through the use of laptops.

A team from the MITA contributed software development services to the NSO.

The effort of this team was exerted on enhancements and adaptations of existing software.

MITA also sits on the NSO Data Management Steering Committee.
The NSO embarked on a multi-year project to modernise the statistical production chain by shifting towards common IT tools governed by a central data warehouse and metadata repository.

The IT Systems Unit is one of the key players in this project.

In 2016 most of the effort consisted of putting up a strong business case to secure buy-in.

The IT Systems unit responded to over 400 internal calls for desktop support.

These were mostly software related and therefore were instantly settled internally.
Hardware related issues were tackled by the respective suppliers.

The unit was also involved in the upgrading of several workstations.

Moreover, the servers hosted in-house were transferred to the MITA data centre for added security and business continuity measures.

National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201635 A member of the unit formed part of a committee that was set up to introduce a new integrated IT system within the Central Bank of Malta.
Apart from providing technical expertise on the subject he also saw the interest of the NSO throughout this project.

The unit was also responsible for maintaining the e-DAMIS data transmission portal.

This portal is hosted on one of the servers administered by the unit and is used by the various production units to transmit data to Eurostat.

Other IT tools supplied by Eurostat are also supported by the IT personnel.
The unit was also responsible for the maintenance of the national infrastructure for the European Census Hub.

The unit was represented in five international meetings and workshops.

36National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 DATA MANAGEMENT The DMU was formed in the last quarter of the year to centralise and harmonise the way data is managed at the NSO in terms of collection, auditing, data-entry and validation, covering both technical and administrative aspects.
The first main survey carried out by the unit was the AES, carried out every 5 years.

Data for this survey has been collected through CAPI among 1,500 households around Malta and Gozo.

The unit was also engaged in statistical data collection projects on behalf of other government entities.

In addition to operational benefits the DMU’s mandate is to modernise data collection mechanisms through computer assisted interviewing.
To improve the quality and awareness of survey interviewers, a series of training activities and focus groups were organised for field officers and telephone interviewers.

A tailored course for field officers on data collection methods organised in collaboration with the Central Statistics Office, Ireland, will be held next year.

As part of its day-to-day operations, the DMU works closely with internal and external stakeholders throughout various phases of survey research.
Since its inception, the unit registered an increase in the number of surveys carried out on behalf of third party organisations.

This includes two telephone enquiries on behalf of the MGI and JobsPlus, as well as preparatory work in relation to a large-scale face-to-face survey commissioned by the CBM and other initiatives planned for 2017.

The main challenge faced by the unit is to improve in terms of efficiency.
National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201637 SUPPORT SERVICES PERSONNEL AND BUDGETARY MATTERS The overall workforce at NSO for the year 2016, including all employees who worked part of the year and then resigned, are seconded to a b,Ministry, are on a career break or are on maternity/parental leave adds up to 162 persons.

Table 1 clearly illustrates that 60 per cent of the workforce is female.
The statistician grade is the strongest segment of the workforce accounting for 51 per cent of total employment.

The Management Team comprises the Chairman, a DG, four Directors, 1 Legal Advisor, 21 Unit Managers and 1 Financial Controller.

Other personnel groups include 83 statisticians, 12 executive staff, 34 clerical staff, and 3 support staff.

Table 1.
Table 1.

NSO staff members by function: December 2015 Function Male Female Total Management team Statisticians Executive staff Clerical staff Support staff Total 18 28 6 10 2 64 12 55 6 24 1 98 30 83 12 34 3 162 Charts 1 and 2 illustrate characteristics about the composition of NSO personnel.
Apart from the dominating female concentration, especially with respect to the younger age brackets, one can note a relatively young workforce, with 72 per cent of the personnel featuring in the age brackets less than 41 years of age.

Chart 1.

Composition of the workforce (2016) 40% 162 employees 60% Males Females National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201641 51+ 41-50 31-40 44 18-30 29 Chart 2.
Staff distributed by sex and age 10 13 15 7 Females Males 24 20 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 The NSO regularly undertakes staff intake in possession of high educational attainment.

However, the Office is also committed to retain the majority of its staff thus maintaining a healthy balance between experience and academic achievement.

Chart 3 shows that the majority of the employees have been working in the Office for more than 10 years.

Chart 3.
Chart 3.

Staff distributed by sex and years in service 16+ 35 19 11-15 6-10 0-5 30 19 14 Females Males 14 9 40 30 20 10 0 10 22 20 30 42National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 Chart 4.

Staff distributed by highest level of education and sex Post-graduate Degree Graduate Degree Diploma Other Males Females Chart 5.
Staff distributed by highest level of education and years in service 16+ 11-15 6-10 0-5 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Post-graduate Degree Graduate Degree Diploma Other Charts 4 and 5 above, illustrate the relationship between the level of education and sex or work experience at NSO.
In line with the trends explained above, chart 5 shows that the majority of graduates have been working with the NSO for five years or less, whereas the majority of the non- graduates have been engaged by the office for more than 15 years.
New recruits for the post of Statistician were required to possess an Honours degree in Statistics, Economics, Mathematics, Accountancy, Banking and Finance, or equivalent professional qualifications with any of these disciplines as a major area of study, with a Second class Lower classification as a minimum, to accede for further consideration.

National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201643 During 2016, 10 employees attended courses organised by the CDRT in the various courses shown in Table 2.
Table 2.

Courses organised by the CDRT: 2016 Training type Telephone Call Handling Techniques Public Management Toolkit Government Policies - The Making and Evaluation Process National Procurement Procedures: An Overview Excel Formulas Total No.

of participants 3 3 1 1 2 10 The total number of participants for local training courses (incl.

CDRT) as shown in Table 3 amounted Table 3.

Local courses: 2016 No.

of participants % of Total to 115.
Training type ICT-related Training Excel Formulas Big Data Summit R Language Course Management Development Training Public Management Toolkit Government Policies - The Making and Evaluation Process National Procurement Procedures: An Overview Economics Event - Brexit + Debate on Property Market Malta Attractiveness Survey Annual HR Conference Strategy, Vision Idea Management Focus Group Seminar: Supply, Use and Input-Output Tables Continous Development Training Telephone Call Handling Techniques GSAT The Pension's System Design and photoshop PwC's Academy Business Series - Document Management Graphic Design Total A substantial increase in the number of employees (Table 4) attending training and study visits abroad was registered.
In 2016, 23 employees attended these courses which were mostly organised by Eurostat within the ESTP framework.

44National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 Table 4.
Training abroad: 2016 Training type Methodology 11th Workshop on Labour Force Survey Methodology Balance of Payments - Advanced Course Balance of Payments - Introductory Course Behavioural Economics Cognitive Interviewing Common Statistical Production Architecture Development and use of Indicator Systems for Evidence-Based Decision Making EU Presidency Challenges:The Eight Steps to Successfully Manage and Chair Groups during the Rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU Information Standards and Technologies for Describing, Exchanging and Disseminating Data and Metadata Introduction to Seasonal Adjustment and JDEMETRA+ Jdemetra+for Advanced Users and Hobby Developers National Accounts in Practice - Advanced Course Rapid Estimatess Relations with the Media - Introductory Course Spatial Information and Maps in Statistics Training on Index of Services Production (ISP) National Accounts and Public Finance Advanced Course on Quality Reporting Annual to Quarterly to Monthly Data ESA 2010 National Accounts Quality Management in Statistical Agencies - Introductory Course Total 2016 Total 2015 No.
of participants 19 % of Total Table 5 provides a brief outline of NSO’s business abroad.

The profile comprises three sections; the participation by function, the type of business attended and also the monthly distribution, depicting the ongoing travelling commitments reflecting pressures on the Office’s human and financial resources.
National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201645 Participation by function Management Team Statisticians & Programmer III Description by type Conferences and Seminars Council Meetings, GNI and other Meetings Study Visits and Training Working Groups/Parties and Workshops Distribution by month January February March April May June July August September October November December Table 5.
Travel-related profile: 2015 and 2016 Business trips Business days Working days 2015 2016 2015 2016 2015 2016 114 141 74 36 2 75 9 23 5 9 12 9 15 20 2 - 11 8 11 8 215 101 214 113 444 174 22 5 39 74 2 125 176 202 372 38 48 9 15 19 21 33 41 3 - 25 15 20 14 75 43 15 14 46 35 24 39 4 3 20 49 45 22 44 73 13 26 33 33 47 57 5 - In total, NSO staff attended 151 official trips abroad, spread over 316 business days, implying a monthly average of approximately 12 trips or 26 business days.
The majority of travel was conducted by the Management Team mainly to attend Working Group meetings abroad.

Members of the junior staff (mainly Statisticians) are more likely to attend Study Visits and Training Courses.

The latter are considered as vital for the required capacity building of the personnel since such training programmes are mentored by field-experts.
Together with the in-depth learning opportunities, such programmes harness and breed the sharing of ideas and experiences with other international counterparts, mainly among participants from EU Member States.

Table 6 summarises the direct financial burden on the Office related to official business abroad.
Although NSO generally receives some financial support from the EC and other institutions to cover travelling expenses in connection with Working Groups and Other Meetings, other expenses such as subsistence allowances and insurances are in most cases borne by NSO.

In 2016, the total costs amounted to approximately €159,575.

46National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 Table 6.
NSO’s travel-related expenses before reimbursement: 2016 Month January February March April May June July August September October November December Per Diem and other expenses No.

of days * 25 26 73 76 48 74 7 4 41 101 92 51 € 3,833 4,465 12,420 12,267 8,290 13,040 1,185 762 6,150 15,069 15,151 6,269 Travel Insurance Total Cost No.

of trips 6 7 14 18 12 19 2 1 10 25 24 13 € 2,178 2,339 6,643 6,395 5,435 6,397 1,184 405 3,923 9,337 9,389 4,967 No.
of persons 6 7 14 18 12 19 2 1 10 25 24 13 € 84 98 196 252 168 266 28 14 140 336 336 168 € 6,094 6,902 19,259 18,914 13,892 19,702 2,397 1,181 10,213 24,741 24,876 11,404 Total 2016 618 98,901 151 58,591 151 2,083 159,575 * including weekends and public holidays Table 7 lists 9 Grant Agreements that were concluded in 2016, signifying projects that were accomplished by NSO and approved by the European Commission.
Such agreements are essential for the NSO, in view of the ever increasing statistical commitments falling within the remit of our relatively limited resources.

As indicated hereunder the global value of the projects covered by the Grant Agreements concluded in 2016, totalled €420,623, of which around 32 per cent was financed by NSO, with the remaining 68 per cent being financed by the European Commission.

Table 7.
Grants finalised in 2016 Reference Data Collection on ICT Usage and e-commerce in enterprises 2015 Data Collection on ICT Usage in Households and by Individuals 2015 Improvement of National Business Registers and testing of European Profiling Inventory on Morbidity Statistics Health Accounts (SHA 2011) Total cost of project NSO contribution EU contribution Euros 16,809 40,123 1,820 12,390 20,424 51,640 55,182 36,409 40,022 50,816 34,831 15,059 34,589 27,632 30,392 Multi-purpose price statistics and Real Estate Statistics 63,566 6,357 57,209 Regional Business and Employer Business Demography Data Collection - Malta Quality improvements for the Labour Force Survey Improvement of tools and methods for data exchange in international trade in goods statistics in Member States Total for 2016 9,145 27,961 85,882 420,623 2,165 8,388 25,765 134,241 6,980 19,573 60,117 286,382 National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201647 RISK MANAGEMENT AND COMPLIANCE The Risk Management and Compliance Unit was set up in order to compile and update a risk register and assess any risk mainly in the following categories:  Operational;  Reputational;  Financial;  Strategic; and  Compliance.
The Risk Management Committee meets regularly to assess all potential risks that the Office is exposed to.

For every identified risk, an action plan is formulated to mitigate possible adverse effects on the Office.

The unit is involved in strategic planning and the day-to-day operational issues.

The unit participated in the UN risk management seminar which provided insight on the Internal Audit Investigation Department’s risk management guidelines.
In order to upgrade and have a more holistic approach in this area, expert advice was sought.

The outcome of this consultancy will be the Risk Management Policy and is set to be finalised in 2017.

48National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 DISSEMINATION UNIT The Dissemination unit was set-up in 2016 with the aim of:  enhancing the corporate image of the National Statistics Office; and  ensuring that the statistical output is effectively communicated and accessible to a wider audience.
A new product on our website, intended to highlight the ‘salient points’ of publications, was launched in the second quarter of 2016.

More specifically, the unit produced the ‘salient points’ of the Supply, Use and Input-Output tables – 2010, Demographic Review 2014, the Social Protection: Malta and the EU 2015 and Shift-employment in Malta 2015, bringing about a wider coverage on the media.

The design work for the latter two publications was outsourced.
Together with the Demographic Review publication, the unit also developed and launched NSO’s first interactive online product enabling population comparisons between different localities and regions in the Maltese Islands.
The unit continued to fulfil its horizontal support function by checking all statistical output of the office before it is made public, laying of news releases and questionnaires, providing advice on the presentation of news releases and publications, and monitoring media reports treating statistics produced by the office.

Moreover, the Unit dealt with inaccuracies noted in media reports in a number of occasions.

In the beginning of 2016 a Twitter account was set up.
This is the platform used to highlight the main points emanating from issued news releases, with the aim of reaching a wider audience.

The Unit also started managing a LinkedIn account mainly to promote career opportunities at the office.

The Unit was actively involved in the organisation of two seminars.
The first seminar, Statistics and the Media, held on 29 February 2016 was primarily intended to help members from the media and users engaged in PR to familiarise with the statistical output of the office.

The second seminar, SUIO National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201649 tables – 2010, held on Wednesday 27 July 2016, targeted technical users interested to gain more insight into the interpretation and use of this elaborate tool.
Two commitments laid down in the peer review, for which the unit was responsible, were met.

The unit launched the intranet by the end of the year with the aim of enhancing internal communication and set up a new section on our website inviting users to give us their feedback on the products produced by the Office.
The unit also took the initiative of setting up a channel to fast-track requests from politicians and the media apart from playing a critical role in coordinating ‘large’ requests necessitating the input from different units within the office.
The unit played a leading role in the selection of the successful bidders following a ‘Call for Quotations’ issued by the office covering the design of two publications (Trends in Malta and Regional Statistics Yearbook) together with the development of a website sharing material related to the Working Party on Statistics.

The website was launched in December 2016.


50National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016 EXTERNAL COOPERATION AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS UNIT The new External Cooperation and International Affairs Unit started to operate on 1 February 2016.

The unit incorporated the international affairs function and a liaising function with NSO’s range of stakeholders.

Through the first function, the unit maintained an effective working relationship between the NSO and European and international organisations.
It would also follow developments in EU statistical legislation.

Through the second function, the unit acted as the Office’s interface with external parties.

One of the first tasks involved putting in place a strategy for the international affairs of the Office.
The main objectives of the strategy were:  Overall co-ordination by the External Cooperation and International Affairs Unit;  Better preparation of participants;  Increased value and visibility for the NSO at international meetings; and  Co-ordinated internal/national-level positions on issues.

The main tools to be used in this process comprised a Briefing Note in respect of the agenda items of the working group in question, to be compiled by the participant prior to the meeting.
The Briefing Note includes a section on interventions during the meeting envisaged by the participant.

Post- meeting, the participant would be required to compile a report detailing the proceedings and highlighting pertinent issues for the NSO and for the national level.

The second assignment involved a large-scale project with detailed preparations for NSO’s role in Malta’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first semester of 2017.
A range of tasks were required by this project, mainly recruitment, training, networking with Trio colleagues and Member States, familiarisation with the working procedures of the European institutions and communication arrangements.

Regarding recruitment, a Manager International Affairs joined the unit on 16 May and subsequently, a Presidency team was set up.
The unit identified and attended several training ventures, among them a Presidency course organised in Malta during 8-10 June delivered by National Statistics Office, Annual Report 201651 Danish trainers.
The unit used every opportunity to build bridges with our EU counterparts: handover meetings of our partners in the Trio Presidency, Council working parties and informal meetings, meetings at the Commission and Permanent Representation in Brussels, as well as ongoing bilateral communications with Member States.

The unit also participated in monthly Coordinating Experts Group meetings organised by the Ministry for Finance for the line departments and entities.
The communication media to facilitate the Maltese Presidency (Statistics) included a newly-designed website and a dedicated email address.

The third dimension involved providing support to the Director General for his participation in international meetings and the meetings of the EU-level groups of which he is a member.
During 2016, the Unit provided support for several such meetings, the principal ones being:  The ESSC meetings in February, May, September and November;  Vision Implementation Group meetings;  Partnership Group meetings;  The 47th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission in March;  The Conference of European Statisticians in April.
The EU legislative files which the Unit worked on during 2016 were those relating to (short titles):  Natural gas and electricity prices;  EXTRASTAT;  Inland waterways transport;  Rail transport;  Balance of payments;  Harmonised index of consumer prices;  Extension of the European statistical programme to 2018-2020;  Framework regulation on social statistics.
Towards the end of the year, the Commission launched proposals for a framework regulation on agricultural statistics and for an amending regulation to the NUTS Regulation as regards the territorial typologies.

52National Statistics Office, Annual Report 2016