Government

Statistics data to be kept private

Information collected by a new government agency can’t be used in criminal or civil cases, legislators told.

The data that will be obtained by workers from the proposed National Institute of Statistics and Census will not be able to be used in criminal or civil judicial proceedings, Comptroller Carlos Vallarino told legislators yesterday.

The National Assembly held a hearing on the bill that calls for the creation of the new agency, which would be responsible for collecting information about the country, including economic data.

Vallarino stressed that there will be measures in place to ensure that the information can not be used to prosecute cases such as tax evasion.

There will be strict safeguards in place to ensure that the information is kept confidential, Vallarino told the Assembly.

The proposed agency would be attached to the General Accounting Office, but will enjoy technical autonomy and financial independence.

The bill requires all public entities, as well as all residents, to provide information for the compilation of national statistics. The only exception is when such information would threaten national security or be considered confidential.

The bill sets penalties for violating the confidentiality of the law ranging from $50 to $5,000.

The law would allow the government to collect accurate information about the country's social and economic status.