Statistics Act

The Competent Officer shall be assisted by such other officers as the Minister from time to time may deem necessary.

Neither the Competent Officer nor any officer or persons connected thereto and who is engaged in or con-nected with the collection, interpretation or publication of statistics under this Act shall except as required by his duty disclose any information which has come into his possession in the course of his said duty as such.

Minister may give direc-tions

Appointment of Competent

Officer

Information collected not to be dis-closed to un-authorised persons

B.L.R.O. ll1984

4

Statistics

Any officer who contravenes the provision of subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence: Penalty, impris-onment for 2 years and a fine of $20,000.

The Competent Officer shall draw the attention of every officer engaged in or connected with the collection, interpretation or publication of statistics to the provisions of subsection (1) and (2) before such officer commences to perform his duties under this Act.

( 4) If any person, having possession of any informa-tion which to his knowledge has been disclosed in con-travention of the provision of this section, publishes or com-municates to any other person any such information, he shall be guilty of an offence: Penalty, imprisonment for one year and to a fine of $15,000.

Safeguards as 6.

Except with the prior consent in writing of the to the com-b h f

( h h munication of person y w om, or 0 any person w et er as agent or information principal) carrying on an undertaking in relation to which

Notice to re-quire particu-lars statistics have been collected, no statistic collected by the

Competent Officer shall be used for the purpose of deter-mining any liability of any such person or undertaking to any description of taxation or levy or otherwise to be com-municated to any Government department or other author-ity or person, being a department, authority or person likely to use it for the purpose.

In communicating statistics collected by it or the interpretation thereof the Competent Officer shall take steps to ensure that the identity or any person or undertak-ing to whom or to which it relates is not thereby disclosed.

For the purpose of section 3 the Competent

Officer may by notice in writing require any person carrying on an undertaking in Brunei (whether as agent or principal)

to furnish such particulars relating to the undertaking on such matters and in such forms as the Competent Officer may specify, being particulars within that person's know-ledge or which he is reasonably able to obtain.

Statistics

The notice under subsection (1) may be served by delivering it to the person to whom it relates at a place where the undertaking in question is being carried on or at his residence.

A notice may require the information to be fur-nished at specific times or within specific intervals.

A notice may require~ person who has no know-ledge of the particulars required or is unable to obtain the said particulars to furnish to the Competent Officer the best estimates of the particulars.

The Competent Officer shall not require any per-son to supply information which would-disclose any secret process or other trade secret.

( 6) In this section "undertaking" means any under-taking carried on by way of trade or business, any profession carried on by an individual, or any activities (whether car-ried on for profit or not) of a body corporate or an unin-corporated body of persons.

The provision of section 7 relating to notice and the service thereof shall apply to a requirement under this section as they appear to a requirement under section 7.

fails to comply with the requirements of a notice under section 7 or 8; or

knowingly or recklessly furnishes or causes to be furnished any false particulars on any matter specified in such notice;

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Particulars not related to an undertak·

ing

Penalties

B.L.R.O. 111984

6

Statistics shall be guilty of an offence: Penalty, a fine of $4,000, and in the case of a continuing offence to a further fine of $500 for each day after conviction during which the offence con-tinues.

for exempting any person or class of persons from the obligation to furnish information under this Act, either wholly or to such extent as may be prescribed and either unconditionally or subject to such conditions as may be prescribed;

for prescribing the fees which may be charged for communicating statistics collected by the Competent Officer or the interpretation by the

Competent Officer of statistics so collected and for exempting any person from the payment of such fees.

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