Date Posted: April 03, 2008.

(The Valley, Anguilla) - "Information for Action” – “Improvement for All”  is the slogan for the current Country Poverty Assessment (CPA) 2007/08 which the Government of Anguilla in conjunction with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), formally commenced in September 2007.

One of the components of the CPA 2007/08 is the Survey of Living Conditions (SLC). This is a group of surveys used to collect quantitative data on individuals and households, including household expenditure through the use of questionnaires. This involves interviewing a sample of households and individuals. The sample was selected randomly and households from all walks of Anguilla have been selected randomly to be part of this survey.

According to a release from the National Assessment Team, Interviewers with identification cards are currently in the field interviewing persons from the selected households and the householder dwellers are asked to cooperate and be courteous with the interviewers. Household dwellers are being requested to provide them with the necessary data as accurate as possible. "Your information is very important in providing complete and accurate statistical measures and indicators" says the team.

They further stated, "We would also like to advise you that in accordance with the Statistics Act, your information will remain confidential. This same Act requires you to provide this information to the interviewer. If the information requested by the interviewer assigned to your area is not provided, we would be left with no alternative but to seek assistance from the Attorney General’s Chambers."

As outlined in the Statistics Act (R.S.A. c. S60), persons convicted for contravention of the Act can be liable to a fine of $3,000 plus $100 for each day the offence continues after conviction, in not providing the data.

Given the visible changes in Anguilla over the years, the Survey of Living Conditions (SLC) and a Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) have been designed to include questions that would provide data to:

• Measure Anguilla’s progress with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s).
• Information on household income and expenditure which would assist in the creation of a new basket of goods and services for the Anguilla Consumer Price Index (AXACPI).
• Assist in policy development in areas such as, education, labour, housing and minimum wage.
   

Should you have any concerns about the survey,  contact the Statistics Department on 497-5731.