Content
About the statistics
Definitions
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Name and topic
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Name: Joint parish councils, accounts
Topic: Public sector
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Next release
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Responsible division
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Division for Public Finance
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Definitions of the main concepts and variables
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Most of the concepts and characteristics used in the tables are defined according to the statutory regulations for church accounts. Type and function classify expenditures and revenues. Financial instruments classify the balance sheets.
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Standard classifications
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Not relevant.
Administrative information
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Regional level
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The data is collected for all the joint parish councils and all the parochial church councils in each municipality. The parochial church councils included from 2004.
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Frequency and timeliness
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Annually
The publication comprises of operational accounts from 392 of 411 Joint parish churches and 389 og 411 balanse sheets.
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International reporting
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Reported figures are included in macro-economic reports.
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Microdata
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Microdata are stored in Oracle databases
Background
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Background and purpose
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The statistics were established from 1997. From 2004 new accounting regulations were adopted for the joint parish councils and the parochial church councils.
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Users and applications
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The main users are the Ministry of Culture, The Church of Norway and The Church of Norway’s Research Foundation. Total figures are included in the national accounts.
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Equal treatment of users
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No external users have access to the statistics and analyses before they are published and accessible simultaneously for all users on ssb.no at 08 am. Prior to this, a minimum of three months' advance notice is given in the Statistics Release Calendar. This is one of Statistics Norway´s key principles for ensuring that all users are treated equally.
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Coherence with other statistics
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The data is included in the national accounts, and also in international reporting.
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Legal authority
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The Church of Norway Act of 7th June 1996, and The regulations on budgeting, accounting and auditing for joint parish councils in the municipalities of 25th September 2003 from the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs.
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EEA reference
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Not relevant
Production
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Population
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The data collection covers all joint parish councils in the municipalities, and from 2004 also all parochial church councils.
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Data sources and sampling
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The individual joint parish councils and the parochial church councils.
The data collection includes all joint parish councils and parochial church councils.
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Collection of data, editing and estimations
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Operating and capital accounts as well as balance sheets are collected, mostly through electronic reporting. The deadline for the data collection is March 17. Some data are sometimes sent after the deadline.
Electronic controls are done before submitting and when Statistics Norway receives the reports. Further control is done later on.
Accounts from some of the joint parish councils could still be missing before the publication. Data for the missing councils is therefore calculated based upon the population.
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Seasonal adjustment
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Not relevant.
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Confidentiality
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Not relevant
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Comparability over time and space
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The new accounting regulations adopted in 2004 complicates comparisons with former years.
Accuracy and reliability
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Sources of error and uncertainty
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Errors can occur in the file extracts, and when the form is filled out manually.
Missing annual reports are estimated for.
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Revision
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Published figures are final and normally not subject to revisions