PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEFENCE

This section includes activities of a governmental nature, normally carried out by the public administration. This includes the enactment and judicial interpretation of laws and their pursuant regulation, as well as the administration of programmes based on them, legislative activities, taxation, national defence, public order and safety, immigration services, foreign affairs and the administration of government programmes. The legal or institutional status is not, in itself, the determining factor for an activity to belong in this section, rather than the activity being of a nature specified in the previous paragraph. This means that activities classified elsewhere in SSIC do not fall under this section, even if carried out by public entities. For example, administration of the school system (i.e. regulations, checks, curricula) falls under this section, but teaching itself does not (see section Q 'Education'), and a government/restructured hospital is classified to health (see section R 'Health and Social Services'). Similarly, some activities described in this section may be carried out by non-government units. Government units might engage in a wide range of productive activities covering not only public goods and services but also individual goods and services similar to those produced by private sector units. Government units engaged in the production of these goods and services should be classified in the same industry as private sector units engaged in similar activities. However, it might be difficult to identify separate establishment detail for many government units. To the extent that separate establishment records are available, the administration of governmental programs would be classified under this section, while the operation of governmental programs is classified elsewhere in the SSIC based on the activities performed. When separate records for multi-establishment units are not available to distinguish between the administration of a governmental program and the operation of it, the unit should be classified based on its principal activity (based on value added or on a substitute of value added).