Legal basis of official statistics in Switzerland

The official statistics of Switzerland has its basis in the Swiss Federal Constitution. This article contains the statistics (Article 65) to order and competencies in the field of statistics.

Regulated in more detail the legal basis of the Switzerland government statistics are in advance in the Federal Law of 9 October 1992., The Federal Statistics Act formulated the tasks and organization of federal statistics and the basics of data collection, publications and services. It outlines in particular the principles of data protection.

For the census as the largest and most traditional statistical survey is a separate law ( 22 June 2007). This also applies to the issue raised in the article of the constitution simplified data collection of harmonized residents and other official persons register.

Various ordinances deepen the arrangements mentioned in the laws; so on the organization of federal statistics, conducting statistical surveys of federal, fees for statistical services of federal administrative units, the operating and business registers and the Federal Building and Housing Register.

On the origin of the legal bases

On July 23, 1870, the Parliament decides on a limited organizational issues law on official statistical recordings in Switzerland. On the basis of this law, the statistics are but expanded inconsistent and unsystematic.

The Federal Statistics Act of 9 October 1992 supersedes the Act of 1870 and provides a modern foundation for Swiss statistics. Major new features of the law of 1992, the coordination function of the Federal Statistical Office ( FSO) as the central statistics office in the federal government, the creation of a multi-annual statistical program for the overall planning of Swiss statistics and the establishment of the Commission for the federal statistics as an advisory body of the Federal Council.

The new Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999 for the first time includes an article on the statistics (Article 65). While in the old Federal Constitution, the federal government's authority was still held each property, specifically in the field of statistics, in Article 65 of the Federal Constitution of 1999 is re- transferred to the federal government, the general statistical expertise. The covenant shall collect the necessary statistical data on the status and the development of population, economy, society, education, research, space and the environment in Switzerland. Statistical surveys by the cantons for their own areas are characterized but not impossible - for the statistics competency is a so-called parallel competence, which permits coordinated by the Federation parallel activity of Confederation and the cantons in the field of statistics.

From the Federal Statistics Act ( the Federal Statistics Law )

  • General provisions
  • Regulatory power and participation
  • Organisation of Federal Statistics
  • Privacy and Security
  • Publications and services
  • Penalties
  • Final provisions

Effective Date: August 1, 1993 ( Federal Council Decree of 30 June 1993 )

Federal Council (Switzerland)
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