To ensure that the needs of various sectors of the community can be suitably taken into account in the development of government statistical activities, a Statistics Advisory Board was established by the Government in 1972. The Board is a non-statutory advisory body chaired by the Commissioner for Census and Statistics and consists of 11 non-official members and 3 official members. The non-official members offer a balanced representation from businesses, the academia and the community. Views of the three sectors, namely data users, raw data suppliers and statistical scientists are integrated. Representatives of Permanent Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Financial Services), Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Health) / Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Food), and Government Economist serve as the three official members. They represent Government interests in regard to statistics on economic and social fronts. The Board has been providing valuable advice to the Commissioner on statistical matters pertaining to the Government Statistical Service.