Crime & Migration Statistics User Information Group (CMUIG)

Terms of Reference

Background 

The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, including the agencies under its aegis, cover a wide range of policy and operational matters. This includes immigration, asylum, policing, courts, prisons, and probation services. Across these areas there are significant data holdings. Some of these data holdings (PULSE data, certain Prison & Probation data) are shared with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) for the purposes of the publication of official statistics and analysis. All data sharing is consistent with the appropriate legislation and this will continue to be the case. 

Both the CSO and the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration provide a range of information to inform policy development and more general users. User demands, and the complexity of these demands, are increasing. A more coordinated and joined-up approach between a range of stakeholders is required to better meet user needs. The creation of the Crime & Migration Statistics User Information Group (CMUIG) has the capacity to drive improvements in the range of information available. 

The aim of the CMUIG will be to act as the official channel between the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and the CSO.
It will be the mechanism by which:

• The Department can raise the impact of any policy or legislative changes that will impact on data holdings.

• Share any relevant analytical developments.

• Identify key data holdings and the potential for work under cross government initiatives (for example, the National Data Infrastructure and Action 24 of the Civil Service Renewal Plan).

• Act as a ‘clearing house’ for prioritising work requests on CSO statistical resources.

Role of the CMUIG

• The Group shall be the formal, high level mechanism for consultation and communication between both Offices. 

• Advise on the Justice statistics required to support national policy needs (by “Justice” we mean the full ambit of criminal justice & migration statistics). 

• A mechanism to identify how best to align data collection of data in the Justice system to support the linkage of datasets across all players (e.g. PPSN and Eircode). 

• Ensure effective communication of national and international statistical requirements arising from national and international demands. 

• Examine and make recommendations on all aspects of Justice statistical outputs, such as timeliness, relevancy, consistency, formats, future plans etc. 

• Promote and share best practice in the compilation of Justice statistics 

• Investigate alternative sources for Justice statistics, in particular with a view to reducing costs and burden. 

• Provide and share information on progress regarding all Justice surveys/data projects and other relevant issues relating to Justice statistics. 

• Consider other statistical and measurement issues as necessary. 

• Acting as the ‘clearing house’ for research and data projects, the Group shall agree to, as required, ad hoc working groups or pieces of work to investigate issues as raised by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and other relevant stakeholders. 

• The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration shall inform the CSO as early as possible of any proposed changes in availability/scope of Justice data which could potentially impact on the CSO in carrying out its mandate. Any proposed changes shall be discussed by the Group. 

• The Department will brief the CSO on changes arising from legislation, where they consider it likely that such changes will significantly affect CSO operations, so that any potential impact on the CSO in carrying out its mandate using Justice data can be reviewed. 

Given the particular scale of these issues, the following areas are out of scope for this Liaison Group: 

• The ongoing bilateral engagement between CSO and An Garda Síochána regarding the quality improvement programme for PULSE data (appropriate information on the progress regarding quality improvements will be shared with the Group). 

• The survey to be conducted by CSO on the prevalence of sexual violence in Ireland (briefings on this survey can be provided to the Group). 

Frequency of Meetings 

The Group shall meet on at least two occasions each year and shall be chaired alternately by the CSO and the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. 

List of membership