Does the production of official statistics need to be a separate branch of Government or should it remain within the Executive Branch of Government?

The article the focuses on a debate on whether production of official statistics need to be a separate branch of Government or whether it should remain within the Executive Branch of Government. Topics include the status of the statistical system outside the EBG; decentralized production of statistics; and the reliance on legislation to guarantee professional independence, and role of National Statistical Institutes.