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AS PROVIDED BY QATAR AS A PARTICIPANT IN THE GDDS Qatar Table C. Data Integrity and Access by the Public Qatar Central Bank CONTACT PERSON(S):   Mr. Khalid R. Al Khater Director Department of Economic Policies Qatar Central Bank P.O. Box: 1234 Doha, Qatar Telephone: (974) (44) 56456 Fax: (974) (44) 16771 Email: alkhaterk@qcb.gov.qa Date Metadata Updated: November 2005 Date Metadata Certified: April 2007          Printer Friendly Page

I. Data Produced and Disseminated

a. Comprehensive Frameworks
	The agency is responsible for production and dissemination of comprehensive frameworks in the following areas:
	1. National Accounts		3. Depository Corporations Survey
	2. Central Government Operations		4. Balance of Payments

b. Data Categories
	The agency is responsible for production and dissemination of the following data categories:
	Real Sector		Financial Sector
	National accounts aggregates		Broad money and credit aggregates
	Production index/indices		Central bank aggregates
	Price indices		Interest rates
	Labor market indicators		Stock market
	Fiscal Sector		External Sector
	Central government aggregates		Balance of payments aggregates
	Central government debt		External debt and debt service
			International reserves
	Socio-Demographic Data		Merchandise trade
	Population		Exchange Rates
	Health
	Education
	Poverty

II. Data Integrity

a. Terms and Conditions Under which Data are Produced and Disseminated 0.1.1 Responsibility for collecting, processing, and disseminating statistics All activities and operations of Qatar Central Bank (QCB) are governed by the Decree Law No. 15 of 1993 Establishing Qatar Central Bank (QCB Law), as amended by the Decree Law No. 19 of 1997. The QCB Law, however, does not explicitly specify that the QCB is responsible for collection, compilation and dissemination of the monetary and balance of payments statistics. Although the statistical responsibilities of the QCB are not stipulated in the Law, QCB disseminates statistics through the Monthly Statistical Bulletin, Quarterly Statistical Bulletin, and Annual Report, in addition to the QCB website. All of these releases are available both in Arabic and English and are clearly identified as the product of the QCB (by name, logo, and the website). In addition to the Law, formal QCB documents, in the form of administrative resolutions, QCB notices, resolutions, and executive instructions, further clarify the responsibilities for collecting, processing, and disseminating statistics and organize the collection and compilation of data. Administrative Resolution No. 3 (January 2000) of the QCB Governor on Issuing Organizational Guide of the QCB specifies the QCB structure and defines “the main activities and the supporting activities of the QCB.” Furthermore, the Amendment (January 2001) to the Guide and Organizational Structure of the Department gives the structure and detailed description of functions performed by the Department of Economic Policies, including collection, compilation and dissemination of statistical data. 0.1.2 Data sharing and coordination among data-producing agencies Article 73 of the QCB Law obligates all ministries, government organizations, institutions, public corporations, and state owned companies to provide QCB with any requested information and statistics required for the Bank’s studies. However, some problems exist in practice as to data collection from these institutions for balance of payments compilation purposes. 0.1.3 Confidentiality of individual reporter’s data Confidentiality of individual data is ensured by Articles 19, 57, and 61 of the QCB Law. Article 57 sets out that publication of any information by the QCB “shall not lead to the disclosure of the financial affairs of a customer of any bank unless such publication has been agreed to in writing by both the bank and the customer”. The QCB has also taken several measures for preventing disclosure of individual data, including (1) password-protected electronic data files that can only be accessed by staff involved in the data collection and compilation; (2) password-protected computers to allow access to only authorized staff. As to the data of individual banks, the banks themselves are required to disseminate their balance sheets and other information regularly. 0.1.4 Ensuring statistical reporting The QCB Law specifies that the QCB has the legal right to require banks to submit information. Article 57 of the Law states “Every bank shall provide the bank with any information or statements which the Bank considers necessary for the proper performance of its functions in the manner and time specified by it.” The Article also empowers the QCB to “publish in whole or in part the information furnished by the banks under the preceding paragraph.” QCB notices, resolutions, and executive instructions describe reporting procedures for banks, financial institutions and exchange houses, including the periodicity and timeliness, as well detailed instructions for completing report forms. 1.1.1 Impartiality of statistics Articles 8 and 9 of the QCB law define the management procedures of the QCB. Article 8 states that the “Bank shall be managed by a Board of Directors... All members of the Board shall be of high competence in banking business, and in financial and economic affairs.” There are no other written provisions supporting professional independence of the staff engaged in compilation of statistics. However, the QCB management promotes and supports professionalism. 1.1.2 Selection of sources, methodology, and modes of dissemination Choices of data sources for monetary and financial and balance of payments statistics in general are based on statistical considerations, subject to availability of such sources. Decisions related to different aspects of data dissemination are also informed by statistical considerations. 1.1.3 Commenting on erroneous interpretation and misuse of statistics The QCB Annual Report includes descriptive and analytical comments on the economic and financial situation of the country. 1.2.1 Disclosure of terms and conditions for statistical collection, processing, and dissemination The QCB Law and other rules and regulations in the jurisdiction of the QCB are available on the QCB Internet website at http://www.qcb.gov.qa. The QCB Law is also published in the Official Gazette. Thus, the general public is aware of the terms and conditions for collecting, processing, and disseminating statistical information by the QCB. However, all those documents contain a very limited number of specific references and descriptions of the statistical functions performed by the QCB.  1.3.1 Guidelines for staff behavior There are no documented guidelines for QCB employees describing the rights and responsibilities of the staff. However, requirements on staff integrity, professional competence, and ethical conduct are well known to the staff. b. Identification of internal Government Access to Data Before Release 1.2.2 Internal governmental access to statistics prior to release In principle, there is no government access prior to data release to the public. However, in some cases data are exchanged with other government statistics-producing agencies before official publication, exclusively for reconciliation purposes. c. Identification of Ministerial Commentary on the Occasion of Statistical Releases 1.2.3 Attribution of statistical products The QCB Annual Report includes descriptive and analytical comments on the economic and financial situation of the country. Apart from these comments, no commentary is attached to the data published by the QCB. All QCB publications, including the Monthly Statistical Bulletin, Quarterly Statistical Bulletin, and Annual Report, in addition to the QCB website, are clearly identified as the products of QCB (by name, logo, and the website). d. Provision of Information about Revisions and Advance Notice of Major Changes in Methodology 1.2.4 Advance notice of major changes in methodology, source data, and statistical techniques Users of statistics are not made aware in advance of major changes in methodology, source data, and statistical techniques. Presently, major changes in methodology are not announced at the time the data are published either. 3.5.1 Revision studies and analyses No revision studies and analyses are carried out at present. 4.3.1 Revision schedule The balance of payments data are revised several times before they become final, while monetary and financial statistics usually are not revised, i.e. are final when first released. However, currently, there is no revision policy: the QCB does not release advance notice of revisions in its publications and does not implement a regular cycle of revisions. 4.3.2 Identification of preliminary and/or revised data. Users are informed whenever the data are preliminary or revised, in footnotes along with published data.

III. Access to Data by the Public

a. Simultaneous Release to the Public 5.1.4 Simultaneous release The QCB disseminates statistics to all users simultaneously through the Monthly Statistical Bulletin, Quarterly Statistical Bulletin, and Annual Report, in addition to the QCB website. All these releases are available both in Arabic and English. Also, the hard copy publications identify the address of the QCB Internet website, where the electronic versions of these publications and other statistical data may be found. b. Advance Release Calendars 5.1.3 Advance release calendar. No advance release calendar of QCB publications is available to the public. Also, there is no catalog of publications, documents, and other services available to the users of statistics. However, there is an internal predefined calendar that determines the schedule for the preparation and release of the monetary and balance of payments statistics, which is used by the QCB staff. The statistics usually are released according to this internal predefined schedule.

IV. Plans for Improvement

Recent Improvements DQAF Codes Recent Improvements 5.1.4. 1.      Posting of statistical data and statistical bulletins on the QCB website has expanded data dissemination and facilitated simultaneous access to data by the public; 5.2.2. 2.      The level of details of disseminated data has improved significantly. Short Term DQAF Codes Plans 0.1.2. 1.      Set up a high-level inter-agency Statistical Coordination Committee with a view to improve and strengthen inter-agency cooperation and coordination amongst statistics-producing agencies; 0.1.1. 2.      Explicitly reflect all statistical functions of the QCB, including collection, compilation, and dissemination of monetary and financial and balance of payments statistics, in the new QCB Law that is being drafted; 1.2.4. 3.      Inform users whenever a major change takes place in the methodology, source data, and statistical techniques used for compiling monetary and financial statistics as well as balance of payments statistics along with the data publication; 5.1.3. 4.      Prepare and disseminate to the public advance release calendar for statistical publications prior to the dissemination of key statistics; 4.3.1. 5.      Prepare and implement clear revision policy and adopt a clear medium-term schedule for implementing revision program and formalized revision cycle.     Medium Term DQAF Codes Plans 3.3.2. 1.   Establish a centralized comprehensive database for all macroeconomic statistics in the QCB for both compilers and users of statistics within the QCB; 1.2.4. 2.   Release methodological documents to the public when routine revisions are made to incorporate late or updated information, and when revisions are motivated by more substantial methodological and classification revisions. Technical Assistance/Financing Needs/Other Prerequisites Short Term None. Medium Term Technical assistance is required.