1. Head of National Accounts Statistics Netherlands
Dealing with External Challenges in the Compilation of National Accounts:
The Dutch Response
Peter van de Ven
Head of National Accounts
Statistics Netherlands

2. Major External Developments
Ongoing Budgetary Cutbacks
30% since 1999
Pressure to Decrease Respondent Burden
60% in the period
25% in the period
Ongoing Demands
Growing Availability of Register Data
Legal obligation (2004): no surveys possible if register data is available
Free access to administrations
Legal possiblities to match data files

3. Major External Developments
Globalisation
Inconsistencies between statistics
Delineation of national economy
Growing Mobility of Personnel
Transparency and Reproducibility
Growing IT-possibilities
User Demands
Focus on short term statistics
Multi-dimensional policy issues
Quickly changing needs for information
Growing administrative use of NA-data

4. Redesign of Economic Statistics
Integrated architecture + chain management: clearly defined ”resting points” in processing of data, from Business Register to NA
Production Statistics:
Mainly driven by administrative registers (VAT-register and Register on employment and wages) => Note: Observation unit and matching
Restricted surveying of additional data:
Very limited annual survey (10-20 questions?)
Rolling review of input structure (once every 3-5 years?)
ProdCom

5. Redesign of Economic Statistics
Separate processing of large and/or complex enterprises ( enterprises?)
Integrated compilation of Structural Business Statistics (SBS) and Supply and Use Tables (SUT), based on:
Before-mentioned data
Data on government and financial corporations
Data on imports and final uses

6. Redesign of NA (General Issues)
NA: clearly defined set of tasks based on ”resting points”
Translation to NA-concepts
Exhaustiveness
Integration of source data
Three (more internally oriented) projects:
Less Detailed SUT: from 260 * 850 => 150 * 500
Dashboard
”Quarter-machine”

7. Redesign of NA (Dashboard)
Software system for prioritising inconsistencies and implausibilities
Based on predefined set of norms and standards
After solving major inconsistencies: automatic balancing
Goal: more top-down, less bottom-up; more efficient processing
At the moment: iterative process of implementation

8. Redesign of NA (Quarter-machine)
Software system for:
Benchmarking quarterly data to annual data
Compiling annual estimates, based on quarterly NA-data plus newly available source data
Use of Denton Techniques
Relevant for the whole core-system of NA: SUT, Institutional Sector Accounts (ISA) and Labour Accounts (LA)
Complete change in focus, from annual to quarterly data

9. Revision policy: now versus future
Present revision policy:
T+45 days: flash quarterly economic growth and employment
T+90 days: (revised) quarterly estimates for SUT, ISA and LA
T+6 months: 1st provisional (autonomous) annual estimate
T+18 months: 2nd provisional (autonomous) annual estimate
T+30 months: definite (autonomous) annual estimate

10. Revision policy: now versus future
Future revision policy:
T+45 days: flash quarterly economic growth and employment
T+90 days: (revised) quarterly estimates for SUT, ISA and LA
T+6 months: 1st annual estimate based on sum of 4 quarters plus newly available source data
T+18 months: 2nd annual estimate based on sum of 4 quarters plus newly available source data
T+30 months: definite (autonomous) annual estimate

11. Redesign (of NA): main goals
More efficient system
Less respondent burden
More transparent and reproducible system
Better quality, or at least no loss of quality:
Consistent recording of large enterprises
Full exploitation of register data
More top-down, less bottom-up
Improved ability to cope with mobility of personnel
Note: still a lot of work and problems ahead!

12. Some concluding remarks
More international co-operation:
Exchange of best practices
Development of software tools for NA-compilation
...