Legal activities, price index, Q4 2008

National

Frequency: Quarterly

Timeliness: The statistics is published within 3 months after the end of the period.

The statistics will be reported to EUROSTAT

Data at a micro level, information about the sample and population are stored temporary in the programme language SAS. Data are long-term stored as text files on UNIX.

The purpose is to measure the price development for legal activities. The index will also be used to deflate the National Accounts. The statistics comply with the short-term statistics regulation. The statistics has been published since 2007, with figures from 1st quarter of 2005.

The index is used to analyse and survey the development in prices and costs in the industry, and in the National Accounts. Others with an interest in the market for legal services also use it, for example institutions within research and development, and media.

The index is used in National Accounts. A value index . is also produced for this industry group (only at a 3-digit level). The structural business statistics you can find here . There is a difference in detailing level between preliminary and final figures.

The Statistics Act, Sections 2-1, 2-2 and 2-3

Regulation (EC) No 1158/2005 of the European Parliament and the Council of July 6 2005 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1165/98 concerning short-term statistics.

The population are all establishments in Norway with the NACE code Legal activities. (SIC 2002: 74.11). The statistical unit is establishment.

Statistics Norway’s Business Register is used to draw the sample. Price data are collected via a separate questionnaire-based survey. The establishment’s turnover is based on figures from the questionnaire and Statistics Norway’s own business structural statistics.

The sample consists of about 90 establishments. We divide the establishments into size groups, determined by the number of employees. We use a PPS-sample (Probability Proportional to Size), i.e. larger establishments are more likely to be included in the sample.

The survey is based on a quarterly questionnaire. We offer both a postal and electronic questionnaire. The questionnaire is posted by the end of the quarter, with a three weeks deadline. Respondents that have not returned the questionnaire by the deadline, are given a postal reminder together with a one-week extension of the deadline. If the questionnaire still is not returned, the respondent is given a fine and a one-week final extension of the deadline.

The postal questionnaires are read optically, and the electronic questionnaires are automatically loaded into the revision application. Every questionnaire are afterwards controlled and revised, both automatically and manually. If price changes seems unlikely large, the respondents are contacted.

The establishments are divided into three size strata. For each establishment we calculate price changes (ratios) from the price reference period to the statistical period. The individual price changes are aggregated and weighed according to the establishment’s size stratum, type of employee, type of client and type of case (civil or criminal law) in that order. All price changes are included in the total index. The weights being used are calculated from turnover in each of the categories mentioned above. The weights are being updated every other year.

It is impossible to identify sensitive information from the statistics.

The use of collected data from respondents will be in accordance with the demands in the Statistics Act provisions. The information will be stored properly and kept confidential.

The time series goes back to the 1st quarter of 2005. There has been no changes in the calculation method.