Solid foundation: Permanent Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury (Financial Services) Au King-chi speaks at Population Census Conference.

Commissioner for Census & Statistics Fung Hing-wang says the Government will re-engineer the upcoming 2011 population census, adding it will have exchanges with Population Census Conference participants on ways to improve community data gathering.

Speaking at the Population Census Conference today, Mr Fung said the upcoming 2011 population census will mark the 50th anniversary of census taking in Hong Kong.

"Over the years there have been major statistical developments in Hong Kong relating to the undertaking of population census," he said.

Officiating at the conference, Permanent Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury (Financial Services) Au King-chi said effective policy formulation relies on a good population analysis as portrayed by demographic and social statistics.

The Government attaches great importance to mining the wealth of information obtained from the census to support research into and analysis of economic and social policies, she noted.

"Population census is a unique undertaking on a vast scale that provides the most complete picture of life in an economy. Be it the Government, investors, social organisations or the general public, they all look to credible information from the population census in meeting the coming challenges," she said.

The Population Census Conference, an international event for professional statistical experts to share experiences, will run in Hong Kong until March 27.

With the theme Changing Patterns of Utilisation & Analysis of Population Census Data, the event brought together 60 participants from 20 countries and regions to share methods, experiences and expertise in conducting a census.