Meeting 7

Education Statistics Liaison Group (ESLG) Meeting 7

Location: Central Statistics Office, Ardee Road / Microsoft Teams

Date: 14^th November 2025

Attendance:

31 people attended the 7th ESLG meeting in the CSO Rathmines office and remotely via Microsoft Teams, representing 10 Public Service Bodies. A full list of those in attendance can be found at the end of this document.

Agenda

Item 1: Welcome and Updates: Rob Kelly – Central Statistics Office (CSO), Paul Alexander – Department of Education and Youth (DEY), John Heslin – Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS)

• Rob Kelly opened the meeting and welcomed members to the liaison group. The minutes of the last meeting were circulated in advance, approved and posted on the CSO website.  

Organisational Updates from CSO

• Paul Morrin has been appointed Director of the Directorate for Sectoral and Regional Statistics at Eurostat. 

• The CSO is finalising a new Data Strategy, aligned with the broader Public Service Data Strategy. Both are scheduled for publication in 2026 and will outline how data services will be supported and delivered across the public sector.

• A new CSO Researcher Policy is in development, aimed at better coordinating researcher access and use. Expected publication in 2026.

• Funding has been secured (via OGCIO) for at least one year for the Virtual Data Rooms project, which will provide secure platforms for public sector bodies to conduct policy-relevant research. There is potential for sustainable funding beyond the initial period.

Updates from DEY

• CVTS (Continuing Vocational Training Survey) will proceed (next reference year 2025) with returns due by June 2027.

• Eurostat has requested an expert for the Adult Education Survey expert board; attendees invited to express interest.

• Discussion on incorporating Educational Expenditure into national accounting, including satellite accounting and adopting a National Accounts approach to education.

• Data collections update:

  October pilot for a single/central application system developed by the Statistics Unit; Eircode will be a mandatory field, resulting in improved data quality. This initiative is part of the Programme for Government.

  National Preference Survey on parental preferences for school ethos (multi-denominational/catholic) is open to all parents of children under 12. To date, 120,000 households have responded.

  LearnerPath project: originally designed as a unified database across POD and PPOD; now the focus is on harmonising these systems. Integration and sharing of data will be modernised to ensure better interoperability and streamlined data flows.

Updates from DFHERIS

• Higher education projections are being refreshed and awaiting Management Board approval. Publication is expected by the end of the year.

•  R&D Budget Surveys:

  Government Research and Development (R&D) Budget on Ireland's R&D expenditure across all sectors – all responses have been returned; and the report is scheduled for publication in Q1 2026.

  With the help of CSO, the survey is being converted to an eSurvey format for the 2025/26 cycle

  The Higher Education Research and Development Survey (HERD) which will present the results of the survey of research and development (R&D) activities in the higher education sector planned for Q2 2027.

Updates from Statistical System Coordination Unit, CSO

• SSCU today published Higher Education Outcomes Health Graduates 2023, Graduation Years 2010 – 2022. This new release analyses the destinations of health graduates in terms of employment and re-enrolment in education in Ireland and analyses graduates’ migration patterns over the last decade using administrative data.

• A release on outcomes of graduates from courses on Early Learning Care (ELC) is expected in either December or January. The release will highlight the activities of graduates including employment, re-enrolment in education, the sectors that graduates work in and their earnings over time.

• An updated publication examining the outcomes for graduates of Higher Education courses in Ireland is underway, awaiting permission letters from the institutions. The release date estimated around February 2026.

• A publication focusing on People Experiencing Long-Lasting Conditions or Difficulties, often referred to as the disability questions on the Census, is planned for release in December, providing insights into their employment, income, education, health and housing.

• A collaborative Pathfinder project is underway with the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Education and Youth (DEY) on the socio-economic profile of primary and secondary school students. The objective is to publish a research paper within the next few months, which may be released as part of a series to provide ongoing insights.

Item 2: FET Facts and Figures and the SOLAS Data Analytics Unit’s journey to ISSCoP (Irish Statistical System Code of Practice) certification - Amelia Dulee-Kinsolving (SOLAS)

Amelia Dulee-Kinsolving from SOLAS delivered a presentation that provided a comprehensive overview of the FET Facts and Figures reports, which now span seven years of detailed reporting on learner activity. She shared their experience in achieving ISSCoP certification and explained how the ISSCoP framework is grounded in core principles—independence, punctuality, accessibility, quality, and confidentiality—while outlining the Unit’s journey toward certification.

Questions / comments:

Rowena Dwyer (DFHERIS) raised a question regarding the research data file, asking if there had been any traffic and whether it would primarily be used by researchers. The response noted that there has not been any traffic yet, as the file was only completed in September.

The main benefits of this initiative were highlighted, including improvements and formalisation of the Parliamentary Question (PQ) response process. Additionally, consultation with the CSO Classifications team help ensure better alignment with both national and international data standards.

Paul Alexander (DEY) asked about informal education and uncertified courses that are not included in the Facts and Figures reports. The response confirmed that these data would still be available to SOLAS, even though they are not included in the report.

Paul Alexander also queried how best to direct PQs towards PxStat.

Item 3: Gender Differences in Graduate Degree Choices - Paul Devereux (UCD)

Paul Devereux, Professor of Economics at University College Dublin, presented findings from a paper using CSO Educational Longitudinal Database data. He highlighted substantial gender differences in postgraduate (PG) field choices, largely explained by the undergraduate programme selected. Even after controlling for these factors, women are about 20% less likely than men to choose a STEM graduate programme and 33% more likely to choose education. These effects are more pronounced among STEM graduates. Overall, women tend to select PG fields with lower predicted earnings, which may contribute to gender pay gaps. The key policy implication is that postgraduate choices, not just undergraduate decisions, matter.

Questions / comments:

Paul Morrin asked how Irish education data compares to other national datasets. It was noted that Ireland’s data compares favourably in terms of ease of use with UK and US datasets. Norwegian data is more detailed, with CAO-equivalent data available and family linkage, enabling analysis of intergenerational differences. However, Norway and other Nordic countries are outliers in this regard.

Paul Alexander raised a question on Leaving Cert subject choice, noting differences evident as far back as Junior Cert. The response provided some insight, but all agreed it remains challenging to determine when and how to intervene optimally.

Rowena Dwyer (DFHERIS) asked about STEM graduates transferring into teaching and how much this transition explains overall findings. The response confirmed it accounts for a significant portion of the story.

Rob Kelly noted plans for expansion and improvement of the ELD and will take all comments on board, including those related to CAO data.

Item 4: An Analysis on Education expenditure in Ireland in relation to GNI - Patrick O’Rourke (DEY)

Patrick O’Rourke from DEY presented a study on Ireland’s education expenditure and how best to measure it relative to the national economy. The analysis considered factors such as Ireland’s high concentration of multinational enterprises and the 2020 split between the Department of Education and the Department of Further and Higher Education. He outlined three key measures: share of the economy (GDP, GNI, GNI), share of government spending, and spend per pupil. Patrick emphasized that spending is not the same as investment, as investment implies long-term returns, and noted that no clear link has been established between spending levels and student outcomes or wellbeing.

Questions / comments:

Rob Kelly asked if there were many Parliamentary Questions (PQs) related to this issue of using GDP for international comparisons. Paul Alexander explained these often arise following the OECD’s annual Education at a Glance report, which examines participation, spending, system operations, and outcomes such as student performance and the impact of education on earnings and employment. He noted the challenge that only Ireland and Luxembourg are affected by the choice of GDP versus GNI as a measure, and while all Eurostat countries must agree on a common approach, indications are that they are willing to align with Ireland on this issue. Paul Morrin suggested Net National Income (NNI) as an additional alternative metric.

Item 5: AOB / Open Discussion

Rowena Dwyer (DFHERIS) mentioned the Public Data Strategy and suggested that this forum would be a useful place to discuss its implementation, with hopes that it will explore the broader value of data to the public sector.

Rob Kelly noted upcoming staff changes, thanking Tadgh Hegarty as he moves to a career break and introducing Oliver Ratcliffe as the new ELD liaison.

Action items:

1. Organise next ESLG meeting May 2026
2. Circulate presentation slides from meeting to all ESLG members
3. Ask for volunteers to present at the next meeting