INE / Statistical Organization in Spain / Statistics organisation in the Central Government / Official statistical bodies / Interministerial Statistics Commission

Interministerial Statistics Commission

Royal Decree 1036/1990, of 27 July, governs the nature, functions, composition, organisation and operation of the Interministerial Statistics Commission ( BOE 08-08-1990 ).

Previous references

• Explains art. 36 of Law 12/1989, of 9 May ( BOE 11-05-1989 ).

Subsequent references:

• Art. 7.3 is amended by Royal Decree 950/2009, of 5 June ( BOE 16 -06-2009 ).
• Arts. 5, 6 and the additional provision are amended by Royal Decree 53/2005, of 21 January ( BOE 05-02-2005 ).
• Arts. 5.3 to 5.5, 6.3.b) and 7.3, are amended by Royal Decree 508/2001, of 11 May ( BOE 12-05-2001 ).
• The additional provision is amended by Royal Decree 288/2001, of 16 March ( BOE 28-03-2001 ) .
• Arts. 5.3 to 5.5 are modified by Royal Decree 139/1997, of 31 January ( BOE 12-02-1997 ), repealed by Royal Decree 508/2001, of 11 May.

The Interministerial Statistics Commission, created in article 36 of Law 12/1989, of 9 May, on Public Statistical Services, is attached to the Ministry of Economy and Tax, via the National Statistics Institute. It is a participative organ of the statistical services in charge of compiling statistics in the scope of the State Central Administration.

The Interministerial Statistics Commission aims to:

a) Coordinate the activities of the statistical services of the State Central Administration horizontally and favour cooperation between them.

b) Integrate the systems for statistical information related to different sectors and themes, homogenising and standardising the statistics' conceptual and methodological aspects especially as regards definitions, statistical units, classifications, names and codes.

c) Maintain and update the inventory of the Public Administrations' statistical operations and the statistical bibliographic documentation and information.

d) Promote the creation and maintenance of records and directories of statistical units, as a framework for the performance of censuses and surveys.

e) Identify the projects for the implementation, revision or suppression of administrative records and questionnaires when they are a source for statistics for state purposes.

f) Promote the rational use of the available data sources, both with a statistical and administrative origin, and facilitate the exchange of data files and directories between the different statistical services, as well as the joint use of the same, always respecting the regulations on statistical secrecy in the limitations established by article 15 of the Law on the Public Statistical Services.

g) Promote the appropriate dissemination of the results of the statistics for state purposes and their corresponding methodologies.

h) Promote and improve the professional education of the personnel at the statistical services of the State Central Administration.

The Interministerial Statistics Commission functions are:

1. Related to the National Statistical Plan and the annual programmes:

To examine and make recommendations on the proposals for the inclusion of statistical projects.

To examine proposals and recommendations from the High Council on Statistics concerning national needs as regards statistical issues.

To analyse and make recommendations regarding the investment programmes of the statistical services of the State Central Administration and

To analyse and inform on the draft for the National Statistical Plan and on the Annual programmes.

2. To prepare reports on issues relating to this organisation set out by the President of the same or by one of its members.

3. To study the general criteria that limit the statistics which require data with a mandatory nature and which are, therefore, established by law.

4. To compile its Annual Activity Report.

To ensure the compliance of the aforementioned functions, the Commission can:

a) Examine previously the topics of interest for the statistical services of the State Central Administration that have to be discussed at the Interterritorial Statistics Committee.

b) Identify and study the projects for statistical operations for state purposes.

c) Gather information on the relationships between the National Statistics Institute and other statistical services dependant on the State Central Administration and International Organisms and the European Communities.

1. The Interministerial Statistics Commission is composed by the President, the members and the secretary.

2. The Commission shall be chaired by the President of the National Statistics Institute.

3. The following are members of the Commission:

a) The General Managers of the National Statistics Institute.

b) A representative, ranking as General Deputy Manager, of each of the Ministerial Departments. When the statistical coordination of one ministerial department is centralised in a unit with another administrative rank, the representative may be the person in charge of the latter.

c) The Director of the Department of Statistics and Balances Centre of the Bank of Spain.

4. In case of absence, illness or vacancy, the President may be replaced by the National Statistics Institute's General Manager for Planning, Coordination and Statistical Dissemination.

5. The Head of the Office of the President of the National Statistics Institute shall act as Secretary, with the right to speak, but not to vote. In case of absence, illness or vacancy, the Secretary of the Council will be replaced by a civil servant working at the Office of the President.

1. The members of the Commission are appointed by the President of the National Statistics Institute:

a) The positions listed in paragraphs a) and c) of article 5.3, in terms of their post.

b) The members that represent the different ministerial departments, proposed by the former.

2. The renovation of the members may be proposed by the organisms they represent.

3. The members may be replaced, in case of vacancy, absence or illness:

a) Those mentioned in Section 1.a), by a deputy general manager of the corresponding Directorate-General of the National Statistics Institute. As regards the Bank of Spain, by a head of the division of the Department of Statistics and Balances Centre.

b) Those mentioned in Section 1.b), by other substitutes appointed by the same system as the permanent members, with the same administrative category established for the former.

1. The Interministerial Statistics Commission may act in Plenary and in Permanent Commission.

2. The President, the Members and the Secretary compose the Plenary.

The Plenary will be validly constituted when the absolute majority of the members are present. If no quorum were reached, the Plenary will be constituted in a second call to meeting twenty four hours after the date of the first. In this case, a third part of the members will be sufficient.

3. The Permanent Commission will be composed by the following members: (Section drawn up in compliance with Royal Decree 508/2001, of 11 May).

President: General Manager for Statistical Products of the National Statistics Institute.

Vicepresident: General Manager for Processes and Statistical Infrastructure of the National Statistics Institute.

Members: six members representing the Ministries in the Commission's Plenary Session, elected by the former.

Secretary: the Secretary of the Interministerial Statistics Commission.

4. Any of the Members of the Plenary of the Commission is authorised to attend meetings of the Permanent Commission.

5. The Permanent Commission can compose Work Groups to further the study and analysis of the issues related to the activities of the Interministerial Statistics Commission.

6. Each Work Group is headed by a President who is assisted by a Secretary, who must be a permanent employee at the National Statistics Institute

The President of the Permanent Commission is in charge of appointing the persons who will compose the different Work Groups. Said Work Groups may include specialists who are not part of the Commission.

7. The Permanent Commission will determine the indefinite or temporary nature of each Work Group, in terms of the goal they are created to achieve.

1. The Commission in Plenary has the following responsibilities:

a) To inform on the draft of the National Statistical Plan and on Annual programmes.

b) To adopt agreements, proposals and recommendations on the issues subjected to the Commission's consideration.

c) To identify agreements, proposals, recommendations and reports issued by the Permanent Comission, as well as all issues the President subjects to its consideration.

d) To approve the Annual Activity Report.

e) To urge the Ministry of Economy and Tax to update the Commission's normative regulations.

2. The Permanent Commission has the following responsibilities:

a) To adopt agreements, proposals and recommendations and to design reports on the issues subjected to the Permanent Commission's consideration.

b) To undertake a previous examination of all issues that have to be solved by the Plenary.

c) To understand all issues delegated by the Plenary and identify all issues the President of the Interministerial Statistics Commission subjects to its consideration.

1. The President of the Commission has the following responsibilities:

a) To preside the sessions of the Plenary and to represent it in its institutional relationships.

b) To decide the competences of the Permanent Commission to adopt agreements, proposals and recommendations.

c) To call meetings and establish the agenda for the Plenary.

d) To open, adjourn and end the sessions of the Plenary and direct its deliberations.

e) To authorise and sign the agreements, proposals and recommendations and acts of the Commission in Plenary.

f) To perform the other tasks assigned by valid legal stipulations.

2. The President of the Permanent Commission has the following responsibilities:

a) Those assigned to the President of the Commission regarding the Permanent Commission, except the function established in section b) of number 1, of this article.

b) To appoint the Presidents of the Work Groups.

c) To require the presence of qualified personnel in order to advise the Permanent Commission.

The Members have the following responsibilities:

a) To participate in the compilation of agreements, proposals and recommendations and propose the modifications they deem fit to the projects presented regarding the same.

b) To request further background data and information before endorsing agreements, proposals and recommendations.

c) To ensure the record shows their dissenting opinion or vote on an issue when they disagree with the majority.

d) To present proposals on issues the Commission is responsible for to the Plenary or the Permanent Commission.

1. The Plenary will meet to formulate agreements, proposals and recommendations as many times as the President deems fit. Furthermore, it will meet when requested by, at least, one third of the Members and, in any case, once a year.

2. The Permanent Commission will function in line with the regulations established for the Plenary, when applicable.

3. The organs of the Commission will endorse their agreements by the majority of the attendants and the President's vote will be used to settle ties. Proposals and recommendations will be presented alongside dissenting opinions.

1. The head of the Office of the President of the National Statistics Institute will have the functions of the General Secretariat of the Interministerial Statistics Commission.

2. The General Secretary has the responsibilities of the Secretary of the Plenary and of the Permanent Commission, as well as those referring to the organisation and operation of the services of the Commission's General Secretariat.

3. The Commission's General Secretariat will provide the Work Groups with the administrative infrastructure they require in terms of the dissemination and knowledge of the reports they generate.

4. The posts at the General Secretariat are included in the List of Work Posts.

1. After receiving a project, proposal or statistical query on any of the issues the Commission is responsible for, the President will determine whether its analysis shall be performed by the Plenary or by the Permanent Commission.

2. The agreements, proposals, reports and recommendations of the Commission will be forwarded to the competent Organisms or those requesting the same.

ADDITIONAL PROVISION

1. In terms of article 42.1 of Law 12/1989 of 9 March on Public Statistical Services, the President, general managers and the Head of the Office of the President of the National Statistics Institute will be state representatives of the Interterritorial Statistics Committee, and members of the Interministerial Statistics Commission shall be representatives of all ministerial departments.

2. In agreement with the terms envisaged in article 42.1 of the aforementioned law, the state representatives shall have the same number of votes as the ensemble of representatives from the Autonomous Communities. If according to section 1 of this additional provision the result is that the number of state representatives is greater than the number of Autonomous Community representatives, with the aim of putting both groups' votes on a level, the value of the vote of each state representative will be the result of dividing the total number of Autonomous Community representatives by the total number of state representatives. Similarly, if the number of representatives from the autonomous communities were higher than the number of state representatives, the value of the vote of each Autonomous Community representative would result from dividing the total number of state representatives by the total number of Autonomous Community representatives.

FINAL DISPOSITIONS

Chapter II of Title I of the Law on Administrative Procedures will be applicable to all issues not envisaged in this Royal Decree.

The Autonomous Organism, the National Statistics Institute, will provide the resources required for the organisation and operation of the Commission.

The Ministry of Economy and Tax, after fulfilling the necessary legal procedures, will establish the provisions required for the development and implementation of the terms envisaged in this Royal Decree.

Any provisions of equal or inferior category that oppose to the terms established in this Royal Decree and, specifically:

The Orders of the Presidency of the Government of 1 February 1964 (Technical Income Office); and those passed on 28 November 1967; 27 July 1970 and 11 October 1972; the Orders passed by the Ministry of Development Planning of 3 May 1974; of 22 June 1974 and 30 July 1974; and the Orders issued by the Ministry of Economy on 14 March 1978 and 27 June 1979, all referring to the creation, composition and modification of the National Statistics Institute's Mixed Commissions for Coordination and Advice, are hereby repealed.

This Royal Decree will come into force on the day after its publication in the "Official State Gazette" (Spanish acronym, BOE).