Opposition spokesperson on finance, Julian Robinson, says he plans to petition the Public Accounts and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) to summon the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) to Parliament for answers on the progress of the 2022 National Population and Housing Census.

Robinson said the move follows multiple unsuccessful attempts of trying to get the institute to state the percentage of the data collection exercise that has been completed.

“My next move is to request the PAAC to summon STATIN to Parliament, so that they can answer the questions. I know over J$4 billion has been spent on this Census, and it’s totally unacceptable that we’re in a position where nobody knows the true state of the Census,” he told Our Today.

He shared that he will have discussions with the chairman of the committee, Mikael Phillips, with a view of summoning STATIN to appear before the committee.

The PAAC is one of two parliamentary committees chaired by opposition members. The committee critically examines the Government’s current account and scrutinises the operations of its agencies. However, it has faced difficulties convening meetings, with members failing to turn up for committee gatherings.

“That’s really the most appropriate committee that would be able to delve into the issue and find out where they are. They are required once they are called before a parliamentary committee to answer the questions. They can’t dodge the questions there, which is what they are doing now in the public domain,” Robinson told Our Today.

The Census has been plagued with mounting issues since its start in September 2022. Among those that have been discussed in the public domain are issues acquiring Census workers to perform the data collection exercise. There have also been complaints from workers about non-payment, administrative issues, and lack of engagement from STATIN with field workers.

STATIN claimed that it was working to resolve issues with payment. However, issues surrounding the recruitment of a targeted 7,000 workers needed to complete the data collection process persist.

Additionally, despite claims that the payment issues are being resolved, Robinson said he still receives complaints from Census workers about payment and lack of resources. As such, he believes an update from STATIN on the entire process is needed.

“I’ve given up on trying to get an update. I’ve called for the minister to give an update. He, as the portfolio minister, hasn’t said anything on it either. So now there is just no response as to where we are at. The last time [STATIN] said they were wrapping up the Census. But thousands of people still have not been reached. So, I don’t know on what basis they could be wrapping up a Census and you have so many people who are still outstanding,” Robinson argued.

“The whole thing has just been managed badly from the beginning, and it is unacceptable that for something which is done once every 10 years, we can’t get any specifics on the status of it. So, given that STATIN won’t do it. I’m going to ask the PAAC to summon them to the Parliament so that they can give answers to the Jamaican people,” he added.

The data collection phase for the 2022 National Population and Housing Census started on September 12, 2022, under the theme ‘Yuh Count, Mi Count, All A Wi Count’.

The initial deadline for the completion of the data collection exercise was December 2022. However, it was pushed to March 2023 due to issues attracting Census workers. STATIN failed to meet the new deadline and refused to set a new deadline or state the completion percentage of the exercise.

The J$2.4 billion exercise was to be completed by December 2023. However, the first phase, the data collection process, has not yet been completed.