Under the terms of the Statistics Act 1993 for the CSO is delegated to the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach. The CSO is an independent Office under the aegis of the Department of the Taoiseach. The Act specifies a number of non-statistical roles and responsibilities which are assigned to the Taoiseach. These include the signing of Statutory Instruments in relation to statistical requirements, general staffing and budget authority at ministerial level and appointment of the National Statistics Board. The Taoiseach may delegate his/her functions under the Statistics Act 1993 and these functions are usually delegated to the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach/ the Chief Whip.
The Minister of State’s role includes replying to Parliamentary Questions in the Dáil, receiving regular briefings on statistical matters from the staff of the CSO, discussions with members of the National Statistics Board and approval of the Statement of Strategy and Progress Reports. The Minister of State also presents the CSO vote to the Dail and to the Select Committee on Finance and the Public Sector.
The Director General of the CSO, rather than the Minister or Minister of State is the corporation sole for the CSO. This is very different to other Government Departments and Offices where the corporation sole is usually vested in the relevant Minister or Minister of State. It is this difference, enshrined in the legislation, which ensures the CSO’s independence in relation to statistical matters. Neither the Taoiseach nor the Minister of State have any decision making authority on statistical matters. The Director General is the sole decision maker in relation to statistical matters as indicated in part 13 of the Statistics Act.
The CSO 2020, published in 2013, set out the collective vision for transforming the CSO’s organisation structures and capacity, in order to provide continuous improvement in service to all the Office’s customers. This requires strong leadership and is underpinned by solid governance arrangements with a clear focus on implementation.
The CSO’s focus on developing strong leadership and improving capacity includes;
• The terms of reference of the Management Board states that the Management Board provides the leadership and management required at a corporate level in the CSO
• The role and responsibilities of the members of the Management Board, as formally set out in the “Assignment of Responsibilities”, is to provide effective leadership through their actions and behaviours for the management and development of the CSO
• The Assignment of Responsibilities further formally requires that Senior Managers at Principal and Senior Statistician level, lead the strategic direction of their Division by developing appropriate strategies, policies and solutions that address issues facing the Division while delivering against key performance indicators
• CSO has introduced an Executive Group Coaching & Individual Career Direction Programme for the Management Board. This programme has been identified as a means of assisting senior management to meet the challenges and manage the risks consistent with operating in a high-performance environment
• The goal of the CSO of being highly influential within the international statistical system is set out in the vision document, CSO 2020. This goal has been advanced by taking a leading role in the European Statistical System Committee. Within the UN structures the CSO has taken on the Chair of the UNECE High Level Group on the Modernisation of Official Statistics (HLG MOS) which drives many of the advancements in technology and methodology taking place in the official statistical domain
• As a member of the European Statistical System all middle and senior management from Statistician/AP to Director General have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of EU Working Party Groups, Task Forces and Committee Meetings. This allows them to influence the development of harmonised statistical methodology, the drafting of statistical legislation, and the assessment of statistical standards and quality.
Other mechanisms for developing leadership and capacity include
• The Senior Management Group (SMG) and the General Management Forum (GMF) are leadership participation mechanisms, involving middle and senior management
• The Office operates a coaching and mentoring programme
• The Office provides interventions and supports for management staff to support their leadership development.
Specific capacity building measures include
• The development of a Quality Management Framework (QMF) which is a capacity building long-term programme of activities, to ensure that statistical production meets the highest standards as regards quality and efficiency. The QMF extends the use of systematic process improvement programmes to streamline, standardise, document and build robustness into the CSO’s core processes.
• The development of a programme of continuous personal and professional development and workforce planning. The Office, under the CSO 2020 vision aims to further develop a culture and the expectation of continuous improvement in capability and performance. The CSO's HR Division has developed a strategic human resource management (SHRM) system which includes strategic workforce planning, people and performance management, learning and development and employee engagement and well being. Continuous Personal & Professional Development (CPPD) was officially launched in the CSO in June 2014. Continuous Personal and Professional Development (CPPD), in conjunction with the CSO Skills Register and PMDS, forms an integral part of the broader CSO strategy to up-skill staff and improve customer service.
Under Section 12 of the Statistics Act, the Director General of the CSO is appointed by the President of Ireland following nomination by the Taoiseach. The Director General is selected via an open competition conducted by the Top Level Appointments Committee (TLAC) and the post is at Secretary General level.
Under the Public Service Management Act, 1997 the Director General of the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has the following main responsibilities:
• managing the Central Statistics Office
• monitoring and implementing Government policies appropriate to the Office
• preparing Statements of Strategy for submission to the Minister for agreement
• ensuring that the Statements of Strategy are implemented and providing progress reports to the Minister
• ensuring the proper and cost-effective use of resources, the provision of efficient and effective public services and that value for money is obtained
• ensuring that arrangements are in place to maximise efficiency in cross-departmental matters;
• preparing an outline of how specific responsibilities are to be assigned to other officers of the Office
• managing matters relating to appointments, performance, discipline and dismissal of CSO civil servants below the grade of Senior Statistician/Principal Officer or its equivalent pursuant to the Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956-2005
• managing matters relating to performance and discipline of CSO civil servants at the grade of Senior Statistician/Principal Officer and equivalent or higher grades pursuant to the Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956-2005.
Section 4(1)(i) of the Public Service Management Act, 1997 empowers the Director General to assign to other officers (or grade or grades of officer) responsibility for the performance of his/her functions.
Section 12 (2) of the Statistics Act 1993 establishes the Director General as a corporation sole.
“The Director General shall be a corporation sole by the name of the Director General of the Central Statistics Office with perpetual succession and a seal and may sue or be sued by that name.” (Section 12 (2) Statistics Act 1993)
Section 13 of the Statistics Act 1993 sets out that the Director General has the sole responsibility for and is independent in the exercise of the functions of deciding—
"(a) the statistical methodology and professional statistical standards used by the Office
(b) the content of statistical releases and publications issued by the Office and
(c) the timing and methods of dissemination of statistics compiled by the Office”.
Section 14 of the Statistics Act 1993 states that “the Director General has the right to consult the
Taoiseach concerning any matters affecting the Office or relating to official statistics or the
administration of the Act.”
This role is also informed by the NSB's Strategy for Statistics 2015-2020, the CSO 2020 strategy and priority transformation actions, EU Regulation 759/2015 which amended EU Regulation 223/09, the European Statistics Code of Practice and the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, the EU Statistical Programme 2013-2017 and its successors.
The Director General is also the Accounting Officer for the CSO. As Accounting Officer he is responsible for the safeguarding of public funds and property under his control; for the regularity and propriety of all the transactions in each Appropriation Account bearing his signature; and for the efficiency and economy of administration in the CSO. Full details of the role and responsibilities can be found in the Memorandum for Accounting Officers and in the Public Financial Procedures Booklet.
Under the powers vested in the Director General (DG) under Section 4(1) of the Public Service Management Act, 1997 the DG makes assignments at Director and Assistant Director General level. The Assignment of Responsibilities document is amended whenever there is a change at senior management level in terms of role or personnel.
Under the terms of the Assignment of Responsibilities each Head of Directorate (i.e. Assistant Directors General and Director) responsibilities are defined under the following headings; the Civil Service Code of Conduct, Strategic/Corporate responsibilities, Operational/Statistical responsibilities, Human Resources, Inter-Departmental and International matters.
In addition each Assistant Director General or Director has overall responsibility for one of the six CSO directorates
| Overall management of Economic & Environment Directorate and co-ordination responsibility in relation to business statistics. | Economic & Environment Directorate |
| Overall management of Social and Demography Directorate. | Social and Demography Directorate |
| Overall management of Business Statistics Directorate and co-ordination responsibility in relation to data management (CSO Data Protection Officer) and the Data Office. | Business Statistics |
| Overall management of the Corporate Affairs Directorate and coordination responsibility for the modernisation programme. | Corporate Affairs Directorate |
| Overall management of the Technology Directorate. | Technology Directorate |
| Overall management of the Statistical System Coordination Directorate. | Statistical System Coordination Directorate |
Under the powers vested in the Director General under Section 4(1) of the Public Service Management Act, 1997 the DG makes assignments at Head of Division level, these posts are either Senior Statisticians or Principal Officers. Under the terms of the Assignment of Responsibilities each Head of Division responsibilities are defined under the following headings; the Civil Service Code of Conduct, Strategic/Corporate responsibilities, Operational/Statistical responsibilities, Human Resources, Inter-Departmental and International matters.
In addition each Head of Division has responsibility for a division whose responsibilities include the following;
| Social and Demography Directorate | |
| Function | Division |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of statistics on demography, crime, health, education, well being, ICT and other social topics. | Demography, Crime and Social Analysis |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the transformation of the household surveys to meet new and existing demands and data collection for household surveys. | Household Survey Development and Social Data Collection |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the compilation, analysis and dissemination of statistics on labour market and earnings. | Labour Market and Earnings |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the development of a coordinated approach to surveys on Income, Consumption and Wealth. | Income, Consumption and Wealth |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the management and development of Census of Population field operation and for geography, processing systems and special projects. | Census Management- Processing and Logistics |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for census recruitment and publicity and for the compilation, analysis and dissemination of Census of Population statistics. | Census Management- Outputs and Recruitment |
| Business Statistics Directorate | |
| Function | Division |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the collection, analysis and dissemination of structural business statistics and the Business Register. | Structural Business Statistics, Business Register |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the collection, analysis and dissemination of short-term business statistics. | Short Term Statistics |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistics on agriculture, transport and tourism. | Agriculture, Transport and Tourism |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the collection, analysis and dissemination of prices statistics, i.e. Consumer Price Index (CPI), Wholesale Price Index (WPI), House Price Index (HPI), Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs), Agriculture Prices and Import Prices. | Prices |
| Economic & Environment Statistics Directorate | |
| Function | Division |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for ensuring the consistency of data; the overall co-ordination of the national accounts and of institutional sector accounts; for the compilation and development of quarterly national accounts and institutional sector accounts statistics, for the management of the Large Cases Unit (LCU) co-coordinating data collected from large enterprises and for the management of the Eurostat Gross National Income (GNI) verification procedures including completion of inventory and preparation for the Eurostat mission. | National Accounts – Integration & Large Case Unit |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the collection and processing of data for quarterly and annual national accounts statistics. Responsibility for the National Accounts IT project. | National Accounts – Data Collection and Quality |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the compilation and development of annual national accounts outputs including national income, output and expenditure statistics, regional accounts, input-output tables and VAT Own Resources. | National Accounts – Annual Outputs |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the compilation and development of the government sector accounts (financial and non-financial) and for dealing with the statistical requirements of the Excessive Deficit Procedure. | National Accounts- Government Finance Statistics |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the collection and processing of balance of payments, international investment position, foreign direct investment and international trade in services statistics and financial sector statistics. | Balance of Payments & Financial Statistics Collection and Processing |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the compilation, analysis and dissemination of balance of payments, international investment position, foreign direct investment and international trade in services statistics and for the compilation and analysis of financial accounts statistics. | Balance of Payments Analysis & Dissemination |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the compilation and development of environment statistics, including environmental accounts and energy statistics. | Environment |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the compilation and development of external trade in goods statistics. | External Trade |
| Corporate Affairs Directorate | |
| Function | Division |
|
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the provision and development of strategic human resource management (SHRM) including
for the provision and development of finance services, including performance and discipline of CSO civil servants below the grade of Senior Statistician/Principal Officer or its equivalent pursuant to the Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956-2005; responsibility for the performance of functions relating to appointments. |
Human Resources and Finance |
|
Responsibility at Head of Division for developing and implementing a comprehensive external communications strategy to build upon the overall awareness and reputation of the CSO and its activities. Managing and overseeing external communications in the CSO, developing a user engagement strategy, managing media relations, developing a media relations strategy and ensuring that the reputation and profile of the CSO is maintained and enhanced. |
Dissemination and Communication |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for supporting and delivering transformation, focusing on prioritisation and delivery of the CSO 2020 Transformation programme: supporting effective planning, delivery, measurement and review of Office outputs and goals, delivery of efficient processes in business planning, project management, performance measurement, business process improvement; and development of organisational capability in governance and performance; the delivery of the employee engagement survey and employee well being. | Planning, Delivery and Performance |
| Technology Directorate | |
| Function | Division |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the provision and development of the Office’s corporate IT systems development services. | IT Corporate Systems |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the provision and development of the Office’s ICT infrastructural services. | IT Service Delivery |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the delivery of a range of IT systems in the area of field management, geographical information systems, on line recruitment, public helpdesk, data base management and the management of the procurement of hardware and communications equipment. | Census Information Technology |
| Statistical System Coordination Directorate | |
| Function | Division |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the development, management and processing of administrative data (personal and enterprise based) to meet statistical demands, support evidence based policy making and contribute to reducing respondent burden. | Administrative Data Centre |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for the development and implementation of statistical standards across the Irish Statistical System (ISS); the co-ordination role within CSO for ISS seconded statisticians; development of policy-relevant research projects in partnership with Departments and development of the National Data Infrastructure. | Statistical System Coordination |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for overall development of statistical methodology, strategic data management, documentation and metadata, and enabling and ensuring the consistent implementation of the quality management framework in the CSO. | Quality Frameworks & Statistical Methods |
| Responsibility at Head of Division level for ensuring that the CSO meets its obligations to participate in the global partnership for sustainable development data under the UN High Level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for Statistics. | Sustainable Development Goals and Indicator Reports |
All staff have an important role in assuring good governance in the CSO. Staff must adhere to the provisions of the Statistics Act, and central policies such as the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviours, the Official Secrets Act and the Code of Ethics in Public Office.
All CSO corporate policies, procedures, circulars and Office Notices must also be complied with by staff in the performance of their duties as Officers of Statistics. Some of the mechanisms are detailed in Chapter 2.
Go to next chapter >>> Chapter 4 - Management Board and other Governance Structures
