Corporate Governance Framework Chapter 3

Minister and Senior Management Roles and Responsibilities

Taoiseach’s Role

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.

Minister of State’s Role

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.

Leadership and Organisational Capacity/Capability

The CSO 2030, published in 2021, sets 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 2030. 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 2030 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, and in conjunction with the CSO Skills Register and PMDS, forms an integral part of the broader CSO strategy to upskill staff and improve customer service.

Outline of the Assignment of Responsibilities by the Director General for the performance of functions under Section 4(1) of the Public Service Management Act, 1997, with effect from 1st July 2022

PART 1

Public Service Management Act, 1997

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 Strategyfor submission to the Minister for agreement;
• ensuring that the Statements of Strategyare 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 Act empowers the Director General to assign to other officers (or grade or grades of officer) responsibility for the performance of his/her functions.  This Outline sets out the assignments made by the Director General of the CSO with effect from the 1st July 2022.

Interpretation of the Outline should have due regard to the need to take account of:

• the provisions of the Statistics Act, 1993under which the CSO operates;
• the National Statistics Board’sStrategy for Statistics 2021-2026 and its successors;
• the CSO Statement of Strategy 2025-2028and its successors;
• CSO 2030 strategy and priority transformation actions;
• amended EU Regulation 223/2009 on European Statistics;
• the European Statistics Code of Practice and the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics to which the Office adheres;
• the EU Statistical Programme 2021 - 2027, its successors, EU statistical legislation and agreements, and other international statistical standards and requirements;
• the Memorandum for Accounting Officers and the Public Financial Procedures Booklet;
• the factors which from time to time affect the distribution and discharge of responsibilities across the Office, such as the exigencies of work in an area, the alignment of activities spanning or involving more than one area, and the co-ordination of shared or contiguous responsibilities.

Part 2 of this Outline describes the role and structure of the Office.

Part 3 together with Appendix A, shows the assignment of responsibility for the performance of functions to each individual officer down to and including Senior Statistician/Principal Officer level.  The assignment of responsibility for the performance of functions by individual officers, or grade or grades of officer, below that level shall be handled administratively based on the personal (or team) work objectives identified under or associated with the Office’s system of work programmes (e.g. local business plans, divisional action plans and PMDS).

The responsibilities assigned down to and including Senior Statistician/Principal Officer level (as well as to officers below that level) shall be articulated through the work programmes for the Office to reflect the priorities and objectives of the Office. 

Officers to whom responsibilities have been assigned under this Outline will receive the necessary resources and infrastructural support to enable them to fulfil their obligations under the Act to the extent possible.

Assignments of responsibilities under Section 4(1) of the Public Service Management Act, 1997 as specified in this Outline may be amended from time to time, in writing, by the Director General and the Outline will be deemed to have been updated accordingly.  A revised statement of this Outline will be prepared annually or as appropriate 

Appendix A sets out the CSO Organisation Chart, which specifies the names of the officers assigned responsibility for each Directorate and Division. This appendix will be updated as necessary to reflect changes in staff or assignments.

PART 2

Role and Structure of the Office

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has responsibility under the Statistics Act, 1993 for the collection, compilation, extraction and dissemination for statistical purposes of information relating to economic, social and general activities in the State. The Office also has the authority to:

• co-ordinate official statistics compiled by public authorities to ensure adherence to statistical standards and the use of appropriate classifications;
• assess the statistical potential of the records maintained by public authorities and, in conjunction with them, to ensure that this potential is realised in so far as resources permit. 

The Office comprises the following Directorates:

• Demography & Housing Directorate – responsible for the delivery of a range of activities and outputs in the areas of Life Events, Migration, Traditional and Administrative Census, Population Projections and Housing.

• Social Statistics Directorate – responsible for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data related to citizens lives and trends within Irish society. This data is used to inform the citizen, policy-makers and academic researchers. Key areas in this directorate includes data about Children’s lives (Growing Up in Ireland), Crime, Health, Wealth, Poverty, Employment, Disability and Education

• National Accounts & Prices Statistics Directorate – responsible for overall leadership and management of National Accounts & Prices Statistics, including the CSO’s Large Cases Division and its responsibility in relation to enterprise statistics.

• International & Government Accounts Directorate - responsible for the delivery and development of: Balance of Payments/International Investment Position, Foreign Direct Investment & Trade statistics; Government Finance Statistics and the Excessive Deficit Procedure notification; statistical balance sheet classification decisions; and social protection and health accounts.

• Climate, Environment, Enterprises & Sustainability Directorate – responsible for the collection and compilation of data and statistics relating to all aspects of the business economy, including for key sectors like agriculture, tourism and transport. Allied to this, the directorate is responsible for the production of essential data and statistics on the environment, through the delivery of environmental economic accounts, data relating to circular economy, ecosystems and biodiversity in Ireland, and climate and energy statistics.  The Directorate also produces cross-sectoral data and statistics on sustainability

• Corporate Affairs Directorate– responsible for strategic and operational support functions including Human Resources, Finance, Communication and Dissemination and Facilities Management.

• Technology and Statistical Services Directorate - responsible for providing reliable, secure and innovative data, methodological, data science and technology services. The integration of technology, methodology and data science, drawing on international standards and best practice, will be a critical enabler to the transformation of the CSO’s statistics and analysis.

• Statistical System Coordination Directorate - responsible for driving progress of the CSO’s Data Strategy to ensure that Civil and Public Service data are of a standard that enables their integration and use across all stages of decision making and policy development. This will be achieved through the development of standards, skills and services, including the programme of seconded statisticians, the virtual data rooms service, rollout of data standards, multidimensional publications and researcher access to microdata.

Each Directorate is managed by an Assistant Director General and comprises one or more Divisions managed by a Senior Statistician or a Principal Officer.

PART 3

Assignments

Under the powers vested in me as Director General under Section 4(1) of the Public Service Management Act, 1997 I hereby make the following assignments: 

Management Board

The function of the Management Board is to advise the Director General on the overall management and professional direction of the Office. The Management Board will act as the primary decision-making committee within the Central Statistics Office and will provide the leadership and management required at a corporate level. The Management Board shall comprise:

• The Director General (Chair);
• The Assistant Directors General.

Heads of Directorates (Assistant Directors General)

The functions of each Head of Directorate (Assistant Directors General) shall comprise:

Function	Directorate
Overall leadership and management of the National Accounts & Prices Statistics Directorate.	National Accounts & Prices Statistics
Responsibility for delivering and developing the International Accounts, Trade and Government Finance Statistics directorate’s programme of activities.	International & Government Accounts Directorate
Overall management of Demography & Housing Directorate	Demography & Housing Directorate
Overall management of Social Statistics Directorate	Social Statistics Directorate
Overall management of Climate Environment, Enterprises, and Sustainability Directorate.	Climate Environment, Enterprises & Sustainability
Overall management of the Corporate Affairs Directorate, co-ordination responsibility in relation to data management (CSO Data Protection Officer).	Corporate Affairs
Overall management of the Methodology, Data Science and Technology Directorate.	Technology and Statistical Services
Overall management of the Statistical System Coordination Directorate.	Statistical System Coordination

The names of the officers’ assigned responsibility for each Directorate are specified in Appendix A.

Overall management of each Directorate at Assistant Director General Level 

In discharging their functions, each Head of Directorate (Assistant Directors General) will be required to:

Civil Service Code of Conduct

1) Comply with the Civil Service Code of Conduct rules and procedures on personnel, finance, procurement, IT and all other matters as specified in Civil Service and Office circulars. Oversee compliance with the Code by the Directorate.

Strategic/Corporate responsibilities

2) Lead the strategic direction of the Directorate by developing appropriate strategies, policies and solutions that address issues facing the Directorate while delivering against key performance indicators.

3) Participate effectively as a member of the Management Board to the overall corporate leadership (through actions and behaviours), management and development of the CSO.

4) Contribute to the formulation, evaluation and implementation of corporate objectives set out in the CSO’s relevant strategy statements including the CSO’s Statement of Strategy and modernisation programme, CSO 2030.

5) Formulate, evaluate and implement strategies for the Directorate to deliver quality services and outputs that meet key performance indicators.

6) Contribute to the achievement of the CSO’s strategic corporate objectives via the Directorate's own work programme, co-ordinate with other directorates and contribute to cross cutting corporate initiatives.

7) Participate in the Senior Management Group (SMG) and other internal/external groups and committees as required.

Operational/Statistical responsibilities

8) Oversee the preparation of an annual Divisional Action Plan with the intention of developing the directorate in terms of improved business processes, metrics, data quality, dissemination and value for money.

9) Oversee the preparation of annual Divisional Action Plans (DAPs) for each HOD within the Directorate.

10) Implement the directorate and business action plans and ensure that risk identification, measurement and mitigation strategies are in place and actively implemented.

11) Oversee the proper and cost-effective use of Directorate resources and the provision of efficient and effective public services appropriate to the Directorate.

12) Ensure that, where appropriate, arrangements are in place to maximise efficiency and effectiveness in cross-departmental matters pertaining to the Directorate.

13) Ensure that Directorate outputs are delivered in accordance with the relevant sections of the Vote (Annual Output Statement) and that value for money is obtained.

14) Oversee compliance by the Directorate with the corporate governance assurance mechanisms.

15) Ensure delivery of statistical and other outputs determined by the Director General for the Directorate.

16) Ensure that the best statistical standards are applied within the Directorate with a particular emphasis on the quality (i.e., accuracy, consistency, relevance, etc.) and timeliness of statistical results and on minimising the reporting burden on survey respondents.

17) Engage with the broad range of users of statistics to ensure that the outputs of the Directorate remain relevant to customer needs.

18) Engage with the broad range of data providers to ensure that information is collected in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

19) Provide statistical and other relevant policy advice to the Director General, Management Board and National Statistics Board as required.

Human Resources

20) Manage the staff in the Directorate (including their assignment, performance management and development (PMDS) and discipline) and ensure the effective performance of Senior Statistician/Principal Officer Heads of Divisions in the Directorate.

21) Provide effective leadership in promoting the CSO’s values and developing a positive working environment that encourages innovation and continuous improvement.

22) Build work-force capacity by identifying and nurturing talent and ensuring delivery of work programmes by delegating responsibility and empowering his/her team to achieve.

23) Perform the functions relating to performance and discipline of CSO civil servants at the grade of Senior Statistician/Principal Officer or its equivalent pursuant to the Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956-2005.

24) Perform the functions relating to appointments, 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.

25) Oversee compliance by the Directorate with legislative requirements including employment, health and safety, official languages and other applicable legislation

Inter-Departmental

26) Appear as required before a Committee of either or both Houses of the Oireachtas in relation to any aspect of the work of the Directorate or of the Statement of Strategy pertaining to the Directorate.

27) Contribute to the implementation and development of the Irish Statistical System.

28) Monitor and oversee as necessary the implementation of Government policies that affect the Directorate.

29) Participate where appropriate in dialogue with other Government Departments, representative bodies (including the social partners) and national/international organisations on economic social and environmental matters and related statistical developments.

International matters

30) Oversee the planning for and compliance with EU statistical legislation and agreements, and other international standards and requirements relating to the Directorate.

31) Represent the CSO at international meetings, conferences etc. as appropriate.

32) Ensure coherent positions at Directorate level are developed and articulated appropriately at relevant international fora.

Heads of Division (Senior Statisticians and Principal Officers)

The functions of each Head of Division (Senior Statisticians and Principal Officers) shall comprise:

Function	Division
Demography & Housing Directorate
Responsibility at Head of Division level for management and development of Census field operation, geography and logistics.	Census – Data Collection
Responsibility at Head of Division level for management and development of Census recruitment, payments, procurement, publicity and project management.	Census - Administration
Responsibility at Head of Division level for management and development of Census processing, dissemination and administrative data.	Census – Processing and Dissemination
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the compilation, dissemination and development of a range of statistics related to housing and construction.	Housing
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the compilation and dissemination of life events and demographic statistics, such as Annual Population Estimates, Migration, Births, Deaths and Marriages.	Life Events & Demography

          

Function	Division
Social Statistics Directorate
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of statistics on crime, health, education, wellbeing, ICT and other social topics.	Crime & 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 and the Growing Up in Ireland surveys.	Social Data Collection
Responsibility at Head of Division level for Social Data sample design, mode choice, questionnaire design, and cognitive behaviour.	Social Data Design
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the compilation, analysis and dissemination of statistics on the labour market and earnings.	Labour Market & Earnings
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the development of a coordinated approach to income, consumption and wealth surveys; overseeing the compilation, analysis and dissemination of statistics and researcher microdata on ICW.	Income, Consumption & Wealth (ICW)
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) survey, National Disability Survey (NDS), statistics related to children in care, and the Children and Young Person (CYP) Data Hub. GUI is the national, longitudinal study of children and young people in Ireland, tracing the impact of early childhood into adulthood over three different cohorts (Cohort ’98, Cohort ’08, and Cohort ’24) via primary data collection and maximising the availability within CSO of secondary data sources. The Children and Disability Statistics Division is also responsible for outputs relating to children in care, working alongside the Department for Children, Disability, and Equality (DCDE) and the Child and Family Agency (Tusla), as well as being responsible for the CYP Data Hub, a one stop shop for all statistics related to children and young people in Ireland. Working closely with DCDE the CSO will run the next National Disability Survey following Census 2027, the first survey of its kind since 2006, meeting key data gaps for stakeholders in this sector.	Growing Up in Ireland
Responsibility at Head of Division level for sourcing, developing, and reporting on the statistical data for the indicators across each of the Sustainable Development Goals; for conducting the biennial OECD Trust survey and advancing the measurement of social cohesion; for enhancing and expanding statistics on well-being and older persons; and for producing outputs on distance to services	Social Cohesion & Sustainable Development Goals
Responsibility at Head of Division level for Health and Historical Statistics	Health and Historical Statistics

 

Function	Division
Climate, Environment, Enterprises & Sustainability Directorate
Responsibility at Head of Division level for overseeing the collection of enterprise survey data, producing thematic publications, and leading the analysis and dissemination of key statistical outputs, including the Industrial Production and Turnover series, the Monthly Services Index, the Retail Sales Index, and Irish Industrial Production by Sector statistics.	Enterprise Statistics – Collection, Analysis & Results
Responsibility at Head of Division level for business register, euro groups register, profiling, business demography and structural business statistics. Producing thematic reports and the analysis and dissemination of industry, services and construction statistics.	Enterprise Statistics – Integration & Structural Outputs
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistics on agriculture and tourism.	Agriculture & Tourism
Responsibility at Head of Division for leading and coordinating data on the extent and condition of ecosystem assets and the services they provide to society and the economy, and the production of Ecosystem Accounts in line with the System of Environmental Accounting – Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA). Also responsible for the production of the economic accounts for agriculture and related releases.	Ecosystem & Agricultural Accounts
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the compilation and development of environment statistics, including environmental accounts.	Environment
Responsibility at Head of Division level for statistics relating to Waste and the Circular Economy, Transport and Enterprise and Societal Sustainability.	Sustainability, Circular Economy & Transport
Responsibility at Head of Division level for statistics relating to Climate and Energy.	Climate & Energy

 

Function	Division
National Accounts & Prices Directorate
Responsibility at Head of Division level for ensuring the consistency of data; the overall co-ordination of the national accounts; for the compilation and development of quarterly and annual national accounts statistics; for the management of the Large Cases Unit (LCU), co-coordinating data collected from large enterprises.	National Accounts –Large Cases 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 & Quality
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the compilation and development of institutional sector accounts, productivity statistics, regional accounts, Supply and Use and input-output tables, ESA new standards, and for the management of the Eurostat GNI verification procedures, including completion of inventory and preparation for the Eurostat mission.	National Accounts – Analysis & Globalisation
Responsibility at Head of Division level for statistical work related to the National Accounts Integration Directorate.	National Accounts – Integration
Responsibility for the collection, analysis and dissemination of prices statistics, i.e. CPI, WPI, HPI, PPPs and Import Prices	Prices

 

Function	Division
International and Government Accounts Statistics Directorate
Responsibility 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
Responsible 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 Sector
This division has responsibility at Head of Division level for classification decisions in relation to the government and commercial public sectors in the National Accounts.	Government Accounts - Classifications
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the compilation and development of the government sector accounts (financial and non-financial), for dealing with the statistical requirements of the Excessive Deficit Procedure, and for the processing, compilation and reporting of System of Health Accounts, social protection accounts and Estimates of Irish Pension Liabilities.	Government Accounts - Compilation and Outputs
Responsibility for the compilation, development and dissemination of external trade in goods statistics	International Trade

 

Function	Division
Corporate Affairs Directorate
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the provision and development of strategic human resource management (SHRM) including strategic workforce planning; recruitment, people and performance management; employee relations and industrial relations, learning and development, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Well-being. Further responsibilities include corporate level input into 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; and responsibility for the performance of functions relating to appointments.	Human Resources
Responsibility at Head of Division level for developing and implementing a comprehensive external communications and dissemination strategy to build upon the overall awareness and reputation of the CSO and its activities.  Managing and overseeing external communications and dissemination 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.	Communication & Dissemination
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the provision and development of the Office’s Finance services including Payroll and payments, Appropriation Account, expenditure planning and reporting, annual Estimates process, Financial Management System management and migration, flight bookings, travel, and subsistence.	Finance
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the provision and development of the Office’s Facilities Management services including: accommodation, security and building services in 3 locations, Health and Safety in workplaces, resource efficiency (energy use and carbon reduction), Health and Safety requirements of Blended Working policy.	Facilities Management

 

Function	Division
Technology and Statistical Services Directorate
Responsibility for the management and strategic direction of technology systems and services which support business processes relating to data processing, analysis, dissemination, quality management and data management.	Data & Analytics Services
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the provision and development of ICT infrastructure services including physical and virtual infrastructure, database technologies, operational security, disaster recovery, enterprise storage, network communications, end user support, and technology procurement support.	Infrastructure
Responsible at Head of Division level to manage the IT aspects of the selection and delivery of systems to support both internal and external data collection and processing, Census recruitment, field operations and processing, and to ensure that the delivery of these systems is coordinated between the relevant business areas.	Data Collection Technology
Responsibility at Head of Division level for enhancing the Office’s capabilities in Data Science and supporting the development of projects in this area.	Data Science
Responsibility at Head of Division level for ensuring that the best and most appropriate statistical policies, procedures, skills and tools are available in the organisation and the wider Irish Statistical System (ISS).	Methodology
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the provision and development of the Office's cloud services.	Cloud Services
Responsibility at Head of Division level for providing the relevant architectural and security foundations on which to provide the CSO’s digital services.	Digital Architecture and Cyber Security
Responsibility at Head of Division level for developing an architecture to support leveraging secondary data based on statistical registers.	Engineering & Spines

 

Function	Division
Statistical Systems Coordination Directorate
Responsibility at Head of Division level for development of policy relevant research and innovative data linking projects in areas such as education, social protection, disability and equality, and the development of the National Data Infrastructure (NDI).	Statistical System Coordination Unit
Responsible at Head of Division level for researcher access to microdata via the Researcher Coordination Unit and assisting public sector bodies in making categories of protected data for re-use (under Article 7 of the Data Governance Act). Also has a coordinating role in open data (including the EU Implementation Regulation on High Value Datasets) and the development of horizontal statistical reports i.e. outputs that provide insights into specific themes by reference to a broad range of statistics, in partnership with Departments and their Agencies.	Irish Statistical System Coordination / Horizontal Reports
Responsibility at Head of Division level for providing direction and support to the Irish Statistical system so that statistical products and processes meet international best practice quality standards.	Quality Management, Support & Assurance
Responsibility at Head of Division level for the acquisition, ingestion, governance and promotion of use for secondary data sources to meet existing and emerging statistical demands.	Administrative Data Centre
Responsible at Head of Division level for directing and supporting the National Statistics Service (NSS), delivering the Virtual Data Rooms (VDR) service, and driving the implementation of the CSO Data Strategy, while championing Ireland’s National Data Infrastructure (NDI).	National Data Services
Seconded role with responsibility at Head of Division level for provision of statistical services in the Department of Education. Also has a key role in the development of the Irish Statistical System, including facilitation of ISSCoP/ESCoP audits and the development of the National Data Infrastructure.	Department of Education & Skills
Seconded role with responsibility at Head of Division level for provision of statistical services in the Department of Health. Also has a key role in the development of the Irish Statistical System, including facilitation of ISSCoP/ESCoP audits and the development of the National Data Infrastructure.	Department of Health
Seconded role with responsibility at Head of Division level for provision of statistical services in the Department of Social Protection. Also has a key role in the development of the Irish Statistical System, including facilitation of ISSCoP/ESCoP audits and the development of the National Data Infrastructure.	Department of Employment Affairs & Social Protection
Seconded role with responsibility at Head of Division level for provision of statistical services in the Department of Transport. Also has a key role in the development of the Irish Statistical System, including facilitation of ISSCoP/ESCoP audits and the development of the National Data Infrastructure.	Department of Transport
Seconded role with responsibility at Head of Division level for provision of statistical services in the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. Also has a key role in the development of the Irish Statistical System, including facilitation of ISSCoP/ESCoP audits and the development of the National Data Infrastructure.	Department of Children, Disability, and Equality

Function	Division
Strategy, Planning and International Relations
Responsibility at Head of Division level for co-ordinating and influencing the strategic inputs of the Office on European and wider global statistical matters; supporting effective planning, delivery, measurement and review of Office strategic objectives outputs and goals; unifying domestic and international strategy, planning and coordination.	Strategy, Planning & International Relations
Enforcement, Legal and Governance
Responsibility at Head of Division level for a range of governance functions - data protection and data governance, freedom of information, delivery of procurement support services and development of procurement governance; delivery of internal audit programme of work; delivering efficient processes in governance, business planning, developing organisational capability in governance, guidance in the execution of corporate and divisional projects and programmes; delivery of a risk management framework, guidance in relation to risk management. This division is further responsible for planning, co-ordination and implementation supports in respect of enforcement and legal services.	Enforcement, Legal and Governance

Overall management of each Division at Head of Division level

In discharging their functions, each Head of Division (i.e. Senior Statisticians and Principal Officers) will be required to:

Civil Service Standards and Behaviour

1) Comply with the Civil Service Standards and Behaviour, rules and procedures on personnel, finance, procurement, IT and all other matters as specified in Civil Service and Office circulars. Oversee compliance by the Division.

Strategic responsibilities

2) Lead the strategic direction of the Division by developing appropriate strategies, policies and solutions that address issues facing the Division while delivering against key performance indicators;

3) Participate effectively in the Senior Management Group (SMG) and other internal/external groups and committees as required.

4) Contribute to policy on corporate and strategic issues through the Management Board and other appropriate fora/channels.

5) Contribute to the formulation and achievement of corporate objectives set out in the CSO’s Statement of Strategy and modernisation programme, CSO 2030 via the Division’s work programme and through co-ordination with other Divisions and co-operation with cross- cutting corporate initiatives.

Operational responsibilities

6) Manage the day-to-day business and overall performance of the Division and maintain appropriate structures and systems to support the work of the Division.

7) Lead the delivery of the Division’s outputs and services as determined by the Director General and the Assistant Director General or Director.

8) Prepare and implement the annual Divisional Action Plan and ensure that risk identification, measurement and mitigation strategies are in place and actively implemented.

9) Co-ordinate the work of the Division with that of other Divisions.

10) Develop the mechanisms within the Division that lead to continuous improvement in business processes, metrics, quality and value for money.

11) Ensure that, where appropriate, arrangements are in place to maximise efficiency and effectiveness in cross-departmental matters pertaining to the Division.

12) Ensure that outputs are delivered in accordance with the relevant sections of the Vote (Annual Output Statement) and that value for money is obtained.

13) Oversee compliance by the Division with the corporate governance assurance mechanisms.

14) Implement government policies that affect the Division.

Statistical matters

15) Ensure delivery of statistical and other outputs determined by the Director General for the Division.

16) Ensure that the best statistical standards are applied within the Division with a particular emphasis on the quality (i.e. accuracy, consistency, relevance, etc.) and timeliness of statistical results and on minimising the reporting burden on survey respondents.

17) Engage with the broad range of users of statistics to ensure that the outputs of the Division remain relevant to customer needs.

18) Provide statistical and other relevant policy advice to the Management Board, Director General, Minister and National Statistics Board as required.

Human Resources

19) Manage the staff in the Division through the performance management system, PMDS, manage absenteeism and ensure effective performance and discipline of all staff up to and including those at the grade of Statistician/Assistant Principal Officer pursuant to the Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956-2005.

20) Oversee the proper and cost-effective use of Divisional resources for the provision of efficient and effective outputs and services including assigning specific responsibilities to individual officers or groups of officers within the Division.

21) Build work-force capacity by identifying and nurturing talent and ensuring delivery of work programmes by delegating responsibility and empowering his/her team to achieve.

22) Oversee compliance by the Division with legislative requirements including employment, health and safety, official languages and other applicable legislation.

Inter-Departmental

23) Appear as required before a Committee of either or both Houses of the Oireachtas in relation to any aspect of the work of the Division or of the Statement of Strategy pertaining to the Division.

24) Contribute to the implementation and development of the Irish Statistical System.

25) Monitor and oversee as necessary the implementation of Government policies that affect the Division.

26) Participate where appropriate in dialogue with other Government Departments, representative bodies (including the social partners) and national/international organisations on economic, social, and environmental matters and related statistical developments.

International matters 

27) Plan for and ensure compliance with EU statistical legislation and agreements, and other international standards and requirements relating to the Division.

28) Represent the CSO at international meetings, conferences etc. as appropriate.

Appendix A - CSO Organisation Chart and names of officers assigned responsibility for each Directorate and Division as of 25^th February 2026

Directorates and Divisions	Officers
Demography & Housing Directorate	Richard McMahon (Assistant Director General)
Census Data Collection	Diarmuid Reidy (Senior Statistician)
Census Processing & Dissemination	Brendan Murphy (Senior Statistician)
Census Administration	Eileen Murphy (Senior Statistician)
Housing	Cormac Halpin (Senior Statistician)
Life Events & Demography	Tim Linehan (Senior Statistician)
Social Statistics Directorate	Fiona O’Riordan (Assistant Director General)
Crime & Social Analysis	Donal Kelly (Senior Statistician)
Social Data Collection	Ger Doolan (Senior Statistician)
Social Data Design - Innovation	Helen McGrath (Senior Statistician)
Labour Market & Earnings	Steven Lucas (Senior Statistician)
Census Management	Cormac Halpin (Senior Statistician)
Income, Consumption & Wealth	Brian Cahill (Senior Statistician)
Growing up in Ireland & TALIS	Katie O’Farrell (Senior Statistician)
National Accounts & Prices Statistics Directorate	Christopher Sibley  (Assistant Director General)
National Accounts - Integration	Kieran Culhane (Senior Statistician)
National Accounts – Data Collection & Quality	Rachel O’Carroll (Senior Statistician)
National Accounts – Analysis & Globalisation	Brian King (Senior Statistician)
Prices	Edel Flannery (Senior Statistician)
Large Cases Unit	Norita Murphy (Senior Statistician)
International & Government Accounts Statistics Directorate	Gillian Roche (Assistant Director General)
Balance of Payments - Analysis & Dissemination	John Sheridan (Senior Statistician)
Balance of Payments - Financial Sector	John Flanagan (Senior Statistician)
Government Accounts - Classifications	Rod O’Mahony (Senior Statistician)
Government Accounts - Compilations and Outputs	Tom Fitzgerald (Senior Statistician)
International Trade	Violeta Moloney (Senior Statistician)
Corporate Affairs Directorate	Maria Hurley (Assistant Director General)
Finance	Orla O’Gorman (Principal Officer)
Facilities Management	Vacant (Principal Officer)
Communication & Dissemination	John Byrne (Principal Officer)
Human Resources	Mark Lyons (Acting Principal Officer)
Climate, Environment, Enterprises & Sustainability Directorate	Deirdre Mahony (Assistant Director General)
Enterprise Statistics - Collection, Analysis & Results	Nele van der Wielen (Senior Statistician)
Enterprise Statistics - Integration & Structural Outputs	Patrick Kelleher (Senior Statistician)
Agriculture & Tourism	Sam Scriven (Senior Statistician)
Ecosystem & Agricultural Accounts	Alan Cahill (Senior Statistician)
Environment	Jacqueline Kirrane (Senior Statistician)
Sustainability, Circular Economy & Transport	Keith McSweeney (Senior Statistician)
Climate & Energy	Orla McCarthy (Senior Statistician)
Technology and Statistical Services Directorate	Vacant (Chief Information Officer)
Data & Analytics Services	Elaine Lucey (Senior Statistician)
Infrastructure	Niall McCormack (Principal Officer)
Data Collection Technology	Aoife Floyd (Senior Statistician)
Methodology	Paul M. Crowley (Senior Statistician)
Cloud Services	Des O’Donoghue (Principal Officer)
Data Science	Brendan O’Dowd (Senior Statistician)
Digital Architecture and Cyber Security	John Conway (Principal Officer)
Engineering and Spines	Sorcha O’Callaghan (Senior Statistician)
Statistical System Coordination Directorate	Francesca Kay (Assistant Director General)
Administrative Data Centre	Ken Moore (Senior Statistician)
Statistical Systems Coordination Unit	Rob Kelly (Senior Statistician)
Irish Statistical System Coordination / Horizontal Reports	Declan Smyth (Senior Statistician)
Quality, Management, Support & Assurance	Tara Davis (Senior Statistician)
National Data Services	Pamela Lafferty (Senior Statistician)
Seconded to the Department of Education & Skills	Paul Alexander (Senior Statistician)
Seconded to the Department of Transport	Laura O’Leary (Senior Statistician)
Seconded to the Department of Health	Laura Flannelly (Senior Statistician)
Seconded to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection	Ciaran Judge (Senior Statistician)
Seconded to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection	Michelle Reilly (Senior Statistician)
Seconded to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE)	Nicola Tickner (Senior Statistician)
Jennifer Banim (Director General)
Strategy, Planning & International Relations	Ciaran Dooly (Principal Officer)
Enforcement, Legal and Governance	Elaine O’Mahoney (Principal Officer)