The Economics and Statistics Office has apologised for causing “inadvertent inconvenience or pain” to an elderly cancer sufferer and his wife after they were issued a non-compliance letter saying they were liable to a $5,000 fine when they stated they could not complete a detailed household budget survey.
In a statement released on Monday afternoon in response to a Compass article highlighting the couple’s plight, ESO director Adolphus Laidlow said the office acknowledged that “an elderly couple, one of whom is sick, might be overwhelmed in participating in the office’s Household Budget Survey currently underway”.
The statement said the ESO “apologises for any inadvertent inconvenience or pain caused to the elderly and sick householder in taking the survey”.
“That was not our intention,” Laidlow said.
The couple, both aged 78, had told the Compass last week that they were undergoing “mental torture” after receiving the non-compliance letter and felt they were being pressured, with a threat of $5,000 hanging over their heads, into completing the 58 pages of forms about their annual household spending.
The husband, who is being treated for colorectal cancer, is being assisted by his wife and requires hours of care daily.
The couple are still being required to fill out the forms, and a log of their spending over a two-week period, but an ESO enumerator has been assigned to help them fill out the survey.
Laidlow, in his statement Monday, said, “We will work with them to get the requisite information sought in the survey.”
The ESO says the non-compliance letters are not meant as a threat, but as a reminder.
“There are time deadlines for the ESO whereby reminders have to be sent to non-complying households under the practice of the [Statistics] Act,” it stated. “The reminders are sent as notices of non-compliance, also as per the requirements of the law, and not as threatening letters.”
Laidlow said the ESO aims “to collect vital information necessary but not cause hardship”, and acknowledged that “there is no leeway” under the law for his office to make exceptions.
‘Economic pulse’
The statement noted that the Household Budget Survey, which is being distributed to 2,400 randomly selected households this year, is held once every five years to take the “economic pulse” of the islands and inform government to better plan and create programmes for the community.
“Consequently, non-collection of such data will adversely impact both information collection and actions to be planned for the welfare of the community,” the agency said.
It added that all its activities are “governed strictly” under the Statistics Act, including, “as required, the need to remind persons not complying with the survey of the possible consequences of not following the mandatory requirements”.
It noted that under the act, householders refusing or avoiding taking the Household Budget Survey can be fined up to $5,000 if found guilty in a Summary Court conviction.
Laidlow thanked those taking part in the survey, saying participating is an “important national statistical exercise”.
“More importantly,” he added, “it is your contribution as a responsible member of society and a law-abiding resident of the Cayman Islands. We are very thankful to everyone who responds for their willing support and active cooperation. You provide a vital service to your community.”
Read the ESO statement here.
View the 36-page individual questionnaire and the 22-page household questionnaire.
View the non-compliance letter.
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I would have expected a personal apology from Mr Laidlaw but none has been forthcoming.
I strongly encourage every reader to review the provided copies of the questionnaires which will raise a lot of eyebrows.There are in fact 3 forms to complete comprising 80 fullscap pages which must include well over 1,000 questions on different items providing for different categories, number purchased, and location of purchase. For example there are 10 pages alone on clothing, comprising 120 categories each requiring response.
My wife who met with the enumerator detailed my severe medical condition (advanced Type 2 rectal cancer) and detailed the stress and time involved in managing it and was told the law allowed no exceptions and advised the consequences of non compliance Two days later she delivered the letter to my wife without a word, and left.
In desperation I visited ESO offices and met by appt with Ms Andrelene Royal (acting Deputy Director). I explained my illness and that I had lost 19% of my weight and at 5ft.11ins weigh only 1261bs. I suffer from lack of appetite and severe weakness I gave her details of my operation at Cleveland Clinic which included removal of a large cancer tumour and part of my rectum and the installation of the stoma I had the surgeon’s operation notes plus the pathology report with me. I explained how management of the stoma was very time intensive and entailed servicing it up to 10 times a day,and changing the attachments every 2 or 3 days.I also take a wide variety of medication some of which my wife has to visit all the pharmacies to locate.
Having listened to all this Ms Royal simply repeated completion of the survey was mandatory under the law! and no exceptions were allowed for any reason!
I have to visit the Cleveland Clinic on May 8th for another operation and do not need added stress to that which I already suffer. In summary Ms Royal apologised but only because she could not provide the forms and would have to e mail them to me!. I then spent half an hour at home printing off all 80 pages.
Despite Mr Laidlaw’s comments the letters are a threat and I challenge him to deny it. I asked Ms Royal how many of the significant number of residents who refused to complete the last survey were fined – the answer, NONE!.
Lastly as far as I’m aware the only employees who receive regular COLA adjustments to their salary are Govt. employees!. Also due to the vast amount of data to be logged and processed from some 10,000 questionnaires I just wonder when the results of this survey will be published.
Roger M.Davies.
I’d like to see a fine levied on government employees who do not answer their phones or emails – a pretty standard practice in the “civil” service. There are some good people – but I would like to see the Cayman Compass do a random survey, trying to contact a specific person or role in each department of government and see how many actually pick up the phone and/or answer a requested response email – and that includes the general number to some ministries. And regarding the laws – you have to wonder how some of the clauses make it in – they are so obviously lacking in thought. Does no-one consult with the general Camanian public before pushing these things through? Handicapping illness should always be considered in cases such as this and Ms Royal’s response should lead to an examination of the law in question.