1. Improving Sampling and Processing of UK Business Register Units Mark Pont, Gary Brown & John Perry Office for National Statistics, UK

2. Objectives of talk
Describe the current UK system for business survey sampling and processing.
Explain the benefits from using Unit Status Indicators.
Outline our plans for making this happen.
Hear your views!

3. Plan of talk Data held on the IDBR.
How ONS business surveys use the IDBR.
Limitations of the current system.
What we would like change.
Our plans for using a USI based system to do this.
Questions/Discussion.

4. The IDBR
The UK business register is the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR), managed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The IDBR holds information on 2.1 million enterprises, and covers 99% of UK economic activity.
Reporting Units (RUs) are set up (by agreement between the enterprise and the ONS) on the IDBR to report for enterprises.
RUs are usually units at enterprise level (but can be at enterprise group level or local unit level).

5. Sampling
A sampling frame is extracted from the IDBR on a set date. The target population and selection parameters are specified by the survey, and are defined by
Industrial classifications (SIC2003);
Regions (NUTS1, NUTS2, ...);
Employment sizebands (0-9,10-19, ...);
....
The frame defines the universe and the survey sample.

6. Processing
As the universe is known, sample response can be used to adjust sample estimates for:
non-response;
overcoverage;
deaths;
new business structures;
....
A number of these adjustments are used to update the IDBR, so responses need to be fed back.

7. Limitations of current system
The problems that arise in practice are:
different surveys use the same sampling information in different ways;
different surveys use the same response information differently in estimation;
different surveys feed responses back to the IDBR in different ways; and
information gained through one survey is lost to others.
In addition, this information is scattered on the IDBR.

8. What we want to change, and why
We would like sampling and processing practices to be consistent across surveys.
We would like data to be collected by surveys, and stored in the IDBR, more efficiently and effectively.
We would like to treat response information correctly.
We would like to make use of all information collected.
This would lead to greater accuracy and coherence in our statistics, and reduce our costs in their collection.

9. How we will make this happen
We will ensure we have codes for all important RU characteristics.
We will re-organise storage, retrieval and updating of sampling and processing information on the IDBR.
We will define rules for sampling and processing of data, consistent across surveys.
We will create a system capable of supporting these new developments.

10. What this means in practice - USIs
We are basing our coding system on Unit Status Indicators (USIs), from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Indicators such as USIs are used to hold coded information on a number of unit characteristics of interest. They define how a unit should be sampled and processed. Updating is through survey response and normal administrative sources.
The characteristics of interest need to be made specific to the UK.

11. UK USI characteristics of interest
UK USIs will report on the following:
contributor comments;
death states;
linked legal units and mergers;
misclassifications;
nils;
response; and
scope.
In addition, survey specific information will be included.

12. The UK process
The IDBR already holds all the information needed for USIs, in separate codes.
All sampling frames will be extracted on the same day in a month/quarter.
When a sampling frame is extracted, the USI code(s), or just those codes which are of use to the survey, will be added to the frame.
USI code(s) will define a unit’s treatment in estimation.
Survey response will update the USI code(s) on the IDBR.

13. The UK process - schematic
IDBR
EXTRACT
SURVEY
DATA
USI
DATA
USI
DATA
USI
ROC
OUT OF SCOPE
UNSELECTED
IN SCOPE
SELECTED
SELECTED
OUT OF SCOPE

14. What next Consult internally and externally.
Coordinate with other ONS developments.
Develop prototype.
Pilot on current data at a point in time.
Present results.
Full implementation.
... and at each stage update our plans.

15. Objectives of talk
Describe the current UK system for business survey sampling and processing.
Explain the benefits from using Unit Status Indicators.
Outline our plans for making this happen.
Hear your views!

16. Questions/Discussion
Over to you. ?