NATIONAL STATISTICS BOARD

AGENDA 

Thursday April 03 2025

Room 308, Government Buildings 

 10.00 to 13.30

National Statistics Board Minutes

The meeting took place in Room 301, Government Buildings, Dublin

Date:     Thursday, 3^rd April 2025, 10am to 1.30pm

Members present: Dr. Clíona Saidléar (Chairperson), Ms. Eithne Fitzgerald, Mr. Jim Scheer*, Dr. Martina Lawless, Mr. John McGarry, Dr. Emma Cunningham, Mr. John Shaw and Ms. Jennifer Banim

Non-members in attendance from CSO:  Paul Morrin, Deirdre Mahony, Patrick Kelleher¹, Nele van der Wielen¹, Ewan Mullane¹ and Brian Cahill (Secretary)

Non-members in attendance from DSP: Niall Egan² and Michelle Reilly²

* attended remotely

¹ Attended for items 3

² Attended for items 5

Item 1:  Minutes of NSB meeting February 3^rd, 2025 (NSB 2025-2-2)

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed with one amendment.

Item 2: CSO Director General’s Report to NSB (NSB 2024-2-3)

The Director General’s Report was taken as read. The Board engaged in further discussion on several key areas highlighted in the report:

System of National Accounts 2025: The Board was informed that the United Nations Statistical Commission has adopted the new System of National Accounts (SNA) 2025. An implementation roadmap is currently under development. The CSO is actively contributing to the development of these standards, leveraging its expertise in the measurement of globalisation.

The Board noted the following:

• Significant measurement challenges exist in implementing new components, with concerns raised about the scale of change.
• The inclusion of natural capital and its depletion in the accounts was welcomed, along with a shift towards net output measures, which offer a more refined assessment of economic performance.
• The valuation of data as an asset was discussed, with questions raised about using the cost of collection or market-based approaches. This aligns with broader efforts to expand the scope of intangible assets and intellectual property.
• The OECD is working towards implementation of the new SNA with an indicative target of 2029.
• The Board suggested that the use of a dual series could help support transparency and continuity during implementation.
• The Board welcomed the inclusion of additional insights in the International Accounts publication, such as the breakdown of the Current Account with the United States.

Labour Market and Earnings Seminar – Central Bank: The Board was briefed on CSO’s participation in a recent Labour Market and Earnings Seminar hosted by the Central Bank. The CSO showcased a range of products, including outputs that combine administrative data (e.g., PMOD) and traditional survey data.

Social Statistics: The Board reviewed CSO's efforts to respond to the growing demand for social indicators, including:

• Measures of poverty, deprivation, and child poverty
• Analysis of the impact of cost-of-living measures on household incomes using SILC 2024
• A forthcoming online pulse survey to assess the five-year impact of COVID-19

The Board commended these initiatives and suggested that more regular reporting on child deprivation would be beneficial.

Electoral Register: The Board was informed that CSO is currently engaging with the Electoral Commission to explore how it can contribute to the improvement and ongoing maintenance of the electoral register.

Data Stewardship and IT Standards

• CSO conducted a successful Data Stewardship Roadshow at the Department of Finance.
• Progress on the Eircode licence was noted as positive.
• The Board acknowledged that the implementation of NIS2 (Network and Information Security Directive) poses significant operational challenges. The Board congratulated the CSO on its work in meeting these IT and best practice standards.

Regional Health Structures: The Board noted that HSE regions should be reflected in CSO statistical outputs. CSO confirmed that progress is underway and that Capita has already incorporated HSE regions into its systems.

Tourism Statistics: The CSO provided an update on Inbound Tourism Statistics, noting that it is actively engaging with industry stakeholders and has scheduled further meetings with the Department of Tourism and relevant stakeholders in the coming week.

Item 3: Presentations & Discussion on Enterprise Statistics

The Board received a series of presentations from Central Statistics Office (CSO) officials on recent developments in Enterprise Statistics:

• “Utility of Data – Valuing Our Data Assets and Maximising Their Value” by Ewan Mullane, Statistician, CSO
• “Digital Data Capture for Enterprises – Future-Proofing Our Infrastructure” by Patrick Kelleher, Senior Statistician, CSO
• “Enhancing Our Outputs for Greater Insight and Use” by Nele van der Wielen, Senior Statistician, CSO

The session was chaired by Deirdre Mahony, Assistant Director General for Climate, Environment, Enterprise & Sustainability, who acted as discussant.

The Board commended the team on their innovative work across the data production lifecycle. During the subsequent discussion, the following points were noted:

• There is significant potential for researchers to benefit from access to enterprise microdata linked across multiple dimensions—such as administrative data on enterprise characteristics combined with environmental and innovation survey indicators. The integration of survey and administrative sources is critical to enhancing analytical insight and avoiding siloed data collection.
• While a single comprehensive dataset containing all enterprise indicators may not be feasible, it was noted that the Virtual Data Rooms provide an effective mechanism for delivering bespoke linked datasets tailored to specific policy and research needs.
• The issue of regulatory burden on enterprises remains a challenge. While efforts to reduce this burden are ongoing, practical constraints persist. The Board was informed that the CSO publishes an annual release detailing the response burden associated with enterprise surveys.
• The use of Statutory Instruments remains an important tool in maintaining response rates for enterprise surveys. In cases of persistent non-response, legal action may be considered in accordance with a standardised process.
• Administrative data continues to play a vital role in easing the burden on respondents. In the case of the Utility of Data project in one year, the integration of administrative sources led to a reduction of 50 survey questions, saving respondents approximately one-fifth of the usual completion time.
• The project is overseen by the CSO’s Project Oversight Board, which monitors progress, budgetary control, and associated risks.
• Finally, the Board acknowledged the complexity involved in developing a tool to assess data quality and representativeness. Although resource-intensive to establish, a functioning model is now in place and may serve as a blueprint for replication in other areas within the CSO and across external statistical domains.

Item 4: Board discussion on the external environment and the implications of the securitisation of public systems

The Board held a strategic discussion on the evolving external geo-political environment and its potential implications for data, research, and official statistics in Ireland and across Europe. In its role of setting the strategic direction for official statistics, the Board considered it essential to examine how changes in the international context may affect what is measured, how it is measured, and the resulting impact on national statistics and data systems.

The following key points were noted during the discussion:

There is a growing emphasis on security-focused research across Europe, with increasing requirements for research partners to obtain security clearances. This shift raises important questions about who is eligible to participate in research activities and who may access official data and information.

The economic environment is likely to face significant pressures. It is essential that the right data be available to accurately measure, understand, and communicate these challenges. Integrity, trust, and effective communication of official statistics will be central to this effort.

While UN statistical standards have traditionally guided measurement frameworks, it was observed that these may not always align with emerging European regulatory frameworks.

Trust in the CSO and the credibility of its outputs are of paramount importance. In a more fragmented global environment, maintaining confidence in official statistics—especially when interpretations differ across jurisdictions—is critical.

Strategic communications were highlighted as crucial, particularly in sensitive areas such as trade statistics. Discrepancies in how figures like trade deficits are compiled across different jurisdictions could lead to external scrutiny.

The potential for external pressure on both data users and CSO staff was acknowledged, especially in relation to reporting on politically sensitive topics.

The Board emphasised the importance of the Equality Data Strategy, which ensures that data on minority groups are properly integrated into administrative systems and official reporting, supporting inclusive policy-making.

It was also noted that there may be measurement challenges across Europe in capturing defence-related expenditure and activity, due to the increased focus on security and defence spending in national budgets.

Item 5: DSP and the National Statistical System – Presentation & Discussion

The Board received a presentation titled “DSP and the National Statistical System” delivered by Niall Egan, Assistant Secretary General for Business Analytics and Statistics Units at the Department of Social Protection (DSP), and Michelle Reilly, Senior Statistician in the Statistics Unit at DSP.

Key discussion points and observations included:

• Trends in Disabilities: The Board noted an increasing number of children being classified with a disability. This trend has implications for long-term social supports and labour market engagement. The importance of monitoring this development was emphasised. It was noted that the Green Paper on Disability, aims to better target disability payments to those in greatest need. There is also a move to expand public employment services to carers and individuals with a disability.
• Use of PPSN Across the System: The Board discussed the role of the Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) in enabling data integration across departments. Departments must have a legal basis for PPSN use, and this may require legislative change to facilitate this. DSP indicated its willingness to support other departments in establishing appropriate legal frameworks to use PPSN while also underlining its responsibility to safeguard data privacy and protection.
• Virtual Data Room: The Board welcomed the development of the Virtual Data Room, which allows the CSO to perform dataset linkage and enables researchers and policymakers to access de-identified, linked data for analytical purposes.
• Public Service Data and Equality Strategies: The Public Service Data Strategy and Equality Data Strategy were acknowledged as frameworks that guide data collection on underrepresented and difficult-to-reach populations. Data availability supports more inclusive and effective policymaking.
• Strategic Collaborative Relationship: It was noted that the working relationship between DSP and CSO has evolved organically and is marked by strong collaboration and mutual support. The Board highlighted the importance of clear coordination between DSP and CSO on: research, data publication, policy requirements, and operational needs. The CSO is currently developing a Researcher Strategy, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
• Policy Evaluation Challenges: Evaluating the effectiveness of DSP schemes remains challenging due to the difficulty of identifying appropriate counterfactuals. Nevertheless, the DSP actively uses findings from successful evaluations to inform policy.
• Fragmentation of Household Support Data: The Board noted that data related to supports for individuals and households are dispersed across several departments. For example, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is managed by the Department of Housing, while Rent Supplement and Rent Allowance are administered by DSP. The Board emphasised the importance of integrating these data sources to gain a holistic view of household-level support. The CSO has a key role to play in this data integration process.

Item 8:  AOB

The dates of NSB for the remainder of 2025 were reviewed.

Item 9:  Private Business

The Board members had a private discussion.