Statistics Amendment Act

What this bill does

This bill gives the government's statistics department new power to collect information that's already available to the public from businesses and other organizations. The main change is allowing the statistics director to gather things like grocery store prices to help the government make policy decisions.

If passed (voted YES)

• Government statisticians can collect publicly available information from businesses (like prices at stores) to help with policy planning
• The Minister can add new types of information to collect without needing full parliamentary approval each time
• The statistics department will regularly report this collected information back to the Minister and Cabinet

If rejected (voted NO)

• The statistics department keeps its current powers but cannot systematically collect public information from businesses
• Government would need to find other ways to gather market information for policy decisions
• The current system of statistical collection remains unchanged

Who it affects

This primarily affects businesses that serve the public (starting with grocery stores) who may have government statisticians collecting their publicly displayed information. It also affects all Bermuda residents indirectly, as this data will be used to inform government policies that could impact daily life.