Functions of the Bureau

4. (1) Subject to this Act, the Bureau shall be the principal data collecting, processing, analyzing and disseminating agency responsible for co-ordinating, monitoring and supervising the National Statistical System, including matters specified in the First Schedule of this Act.

(2) The Bureau, in carrying out its functions under subsection (1), shall be responsible for the formulation of policies, strategies and programme activities for the development and supervision of the National Statistical System by -

(a) providing central statistical information services;

(b) establishing, harmonizing and standardizing definitions, classifications and statistical methods used in the production and dissemination of official statistics to ensure uniformity in quality, adequacy of coverage and reliability of statistical information;

(c) promoting the production and dissemination of official statistics on the regional and small areas of relevance for the purposes of this Act, as well as providing guidance and training to other users and producers of statistics;

(d) promoting and developing statistical training in consultation with the National University of Lesotho and other relevant institutions;

(e) promoting cooperation, coordination and rationalization among users and providers of statistics at central and local levels so as to avoid duplication of effort and ensure optimal utilization of scarce resources;

(f) promoting and being the focal point of cooperation with statistics users and providers at national and international level; and

(g) conducting research in statistical methods and developing standards.

(3) Without prejudice to the effect general effect of subsections (1) and (2), the Bureau may, under this section, perform the following functions -

(a) review all initiatives to collect data at the national and local government levels and approve instruments developed for data collection including census frames, registers, sample designs and questionnaires;

(b) establish registers for households and undertakings;

(c) collect, compile, analyze and publish or otherwise disseminate economic, social, demographic and environmental statistics;

(d) conduct decennial population, housing and agricultural census and surveys as prioritized and planned;

(e) collect and publish routine administrative statistics;

(f) produce and publish a range of statistical information as may be prescribed in Regulations made under this Act;

(g) organize and maintain a central statistics library of statistical reports, publications, diskettes, compact disc-read only (CD-ROMs) and collection of foreign national and international statistics;

(h) build a statistical data bank that is regularly updated;

(I) guide and coordinate local government statistical services;

(j) establish regional offices to facilitate collection of information and other operations in the field of official statistics in accordance with the government policy of decentralization; and

(k) do all things necessary or incidental or conducive to the objectives of the Bureau under this Act.

(4) The definitions, classifications and statistical methods referred to in subsection (2) (b) shall correspond to those applied internationally.