The Minister for Finance has appointed the following members of the Retail Price Index Advisory Committee, set up in terms of Article 33 of the Malta Statistics Authority Act.

Prof. Albert Leone Ganado (Chairman)

Mr Michael Pace Ross

Mr Alfred Camilleri

Mr John Scicluna

Mr Clyde Caruana

Dr Rose Marie Azzopardi

Ms Lorraine Spiteri

The RPI Advisory Committee’s remit is to examine the monthly index prior to publication, and to satisfy itself that the Index reflects faithfully the general price level in the economy. It also makes suggestions for the better collection and frequency of prices of items included in the basket of goods and services, and advises on the organisation of the Household Budgetary Surveys.

In 1979 the Government appointed a new Committee of Users of the Retail Price Index, under the chairmanship of the Principal Government Statistician, and composed of representatives of a number of Government Departments, the Central Bank of Malta, the Trade Union Movement, the Business Community and the Consumers. Eventually, the Retail Price Index Advisory Committee was appointed by Government in 1987 and was composed of the Principal Government Statistician as Chairman and 16 members representing Government and the private sector.

In October 1990, the Committee was replaced by the Retail Price Index Management Board on the recommendation of the then Malta Council for Economic Development. Re-named the Retail Price Index Advisory Committee in 2001, the aim of the Board was to monitor the workings of the RPI, to construct a new index on the basis of the results of the Household Budgetary Survey, and to authorise the Principal Government Statistician to publish the monthly index readings. The Board’s first chairman was Mr Patrick G Staines, who was succeeded after some months by Mr Reno Camilleri, who occupied the post up to July 2013.

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