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The following Research Microdata Files (RMFs) are available to researchers subject to meeting criteria as set out in the Policy on access to Research Microdata Files:

A B C D E F G H I J K LNP QS TV Q X Y Z

 

Annual Services Inquiry (ASI)

Years Available Time Supplier
2008-2016 Annual CSO
Keywords Description
Retail, Transport and Storage, Food & Accommmodation, Information& Communication, Turnover, Stocks, Capital Assets, Personnel Costs, Value Added Tax, Exports, Imports, Employment, Location The purpose of the Annual Services Inquiry (ASI) is to provide grossed estimates of the principal trading aggregates for all enterprises in the retail, wholesale, transport and storage, accommodation and food, information and communication, real estate, professional, technical administrative and other selected services sectors. The statistical population consists of all enterprises wholly or primarily engaged in distribution and services. The principal variables are Turnover, Stocks, Capital Assets, Personnel Costs, Value Added Tax, Purchases, Employment, Location, Exports, Imports.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of ASI data for Researchers On-site access 

 

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Access to Finance (ATF)

Years Available Time Supplier
2014 Ad hoc CSO
Keywords Description
Constraints on the availability of finance, how these constraints may be changing, the need for finance in the future and the sources from which businesses would wish to obtain this finance. The purpose of this survey is to examine (a) where there may be constraints on the availability of finance (b) how these constraints may be changing (c) the need for finance in the future and (d) the sources from which businesses would wish to obtain this finance.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of ATF data for Researchers  On-site access 

 

 

Building and Construction Inquiry (BCI)

Years Available Time Supplier
2008 - 2018 Annual CSO
Keywords Description
Building and Construction including Construction of Buildings, Civil Engineering and Specialised Construction Activities. Turnover, Stocks, Capital Assets, Personnel Costs,  Gross Value Added and Employment. The purpose of the Building and Construction Inquiry (BCI) is to provide grossed estimates of the principal trading aggregates for all enterprises in the building and construction sector. The statistical population consists of all enterprises wholly or primarily engaged in building and construction. The principal variables are Turnover, Stocks, Capital Assets, Personnel Costs, Gross Value Added, Purchases and Employment. 
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of BCI data for Researchers  On-site access 

 

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Business Expenditure on Research and Development (BERD)

Years Available Time Supplier
2007-2018  Biennial CSO
Keywords Description
Detailed information on research and development expenditure; Sources of funds for research and development expenditure; Detailed information on research and development personnel; Recruitment of researchers; Research and development collaboration. The biennial Business Expenditure on Research and Development (BERD) Survey of enterprises measures the research and development expenditure, human resources and other research and development related topics for enterprises in Ireland. The survey is designed to be a census of all enterprises that are believed to be engaged in research and development activities in all business sectors of the economy.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of BERD for Researchers  On-site access 

 

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Business Register 

Years Available Time Supplier
2008 - 2016    CSO
Keywords Description
Corporation Tax Registrations, Income Tax Registrations, P35 employment, Corporation Tax Returns, Income Tax Returns The Business Register is a register of all enterprises that are active in the State. There is no lower size limit, but for practical reasons, Business Demography data is based on enterprises that are registered with the Revenue Commissioners. The Business Register is maintained using quarterly files of VAT, employer, Corporation Tax or Income Tax registrations, plus quarterly files of VAT activity, and annual P35 employment, Corporation Tax and Income Tax returns. All Revenue registrations that are active in the previous period are matched to the Business Register, and new enterprises are created for any registrations that are not already on the BR. All enterprises on the Business Register that are active on one of the Revenue sources during the reference year are included in the Business Demography figures for that year.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of Business Register data for Researchers  On-site access 

 

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Census of Industrial Production (CIP)

Years Available Time Supplier
1991-2016 Annual CSO
Keywords Description
Turnover, Gross Value Added, Purchases, Stocks, Capital Assets, Employment and Earnings The Census of Industrial Production comprises two separate but closely related annual inquiries, namely: (i) the Census of Industrial Enterprises covers those enterprises which are wholly or primarily engaged in industrial production (ii) the Census of Industrial Local Units which covers all industrial local units. The statistical population covers all Enterprises wholly or primarily engaged in industrial production from 1991 onwards from a survey size of 3,800 enterprises. The principal variables are Turnover, Gross Value Added, Purchases, Stocks, Capital Assets, Employment and Earnings. 
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of CIP data for Researchers  On-site access

 

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Census of Population - 2016 Census Integration

Years Available Time Supplier
2011 and  2016 Ad-Hoc CSO
Keywords Description
Sex, Age Category, Nationality, Age Education Ceased , Level of Education, Household Type, Nature of Occupancy, Place of Birth, NUTS3 Region, Relationship, Occupation and other variables. 

This dataset pertains to both the 2011 and the 2016 Census of Population figures. The census figures in this dataset relate to the de facto population. This Research Microdata File includes a number of key variables which give insight to the Sex, Age, Education, Occupation , Nationality, Place of Birth alongside other variables for persons present in Ireland on the 24th April 2016 and 10th April 2011. 

 

Link to Methodology Background Notes

On-site access 

 

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Census of Population from an Environment Perspective  (COPENV)

Years Available Time Supplier
2011 and  2016 5 yearly CSO
Keywords Description
Environment, Census of Population, Central heating, County, Dublin Postal District, Household Type, Period of Construction, Water Supply, Waste Water

These RMF files are at a household level combining data from the 2011 & 2016 Census of Population onto the same observation. The purpose of the file is to allow researchers to analyse environment-relevant Census questions such as central heating fuel in the context of socio-economic questions such as type of building, principal economic status, type of dwelling, etc.

There are three RMF files:
· Private households that were occupied on both the 2011 and 2016 Census nights
· Private households that were occupied on the 2011 Census night but not 2016
· Private households that were occupied on the 2016 Census night but not 2011

 

Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of COPENV data for Researchers

 

 

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Census of Population and Gas Networks Ireland meter data (COPGNI)

Years Available Time Supplier
Once Off Once Off CSO
Keywords Description
CSO, Natural Gas, Meter Connection This RMF file combines meter information from Gas Networks Ireland with Census of Population characteristics. A distinction is made between whether a household is connected to the gas mains.
The distance of the household from the mains pipeline is included in the RMF file.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of COPGNI data for Researchers  

 

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Community Innovation Survey (CIS)

Years Available Time Supplier
2006-2016 Biennial CSO
Keywords Description
Product innovation, Turnover from new to market and new to firm product innovations, Process innovation, Ongoing and abandoned innovation, Innovation expenditure, Innovation co-operation, Innovation competitiveness, Organisational Innovation, Marketing Innovation, Employee educational qualifications. The Innovation in Irish Enterprises survey (previously known as Community Innovation Survey (CIS)) of enterprises measures the level of innovation activity among enterprises in Ireland. The survey covers industry and selected services sector enterprises with 10 or more persons engaged.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of CIS data for Researchers  On-site access 

 

 

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Growing Up in Ireland (GUI)

Years Available Time Supplier
N/A     CSO & DCYA
Keywords Description
Health, Education, Cognitive Development, Socio-emotional Development, Civic Participation, Family Social Class, Neighbourhood Characteristics Growing Up in Ireland (GUI), the national longitudinal study of children provides scientifically robust, policy relevant data to help inform effective service provision and policy development to support children and families.  GUI is funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) and managed by DCYA in association with the Central Statistics Office.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of GUI data for Researchers  Off-site access 

 

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Household Budget Survey (HBS)

Years Available Time Supplier
2009-2016   CSO
Keywords Description
Total Expenditure,Household Income, Household Composition The main purpose of the HBS is to determine in detail the pattern of household expenditure in order to update the weighting basis of the Consumer Price Index. Since it is important not only to study the level of total expenditure, but also to learn the way in which expenditure varies with the income level of a particular household, in size, composition and other social characteristics, detailed particulars on these topics are also collected. The sampling frame is taken from all occupied private households from the Census of Population.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of HBS data for Researchers  Off-site access 

 

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Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS)

Years Available Time Supplier
2013 & 2018 Ad-Hoc  CSO
Keywords Description
Assets and Liabilities of Private Households The main aim of the HFCS is to gather micro-level structural information on Euro area households’ assets and liabilities. The survey also collects additional information in order to analyse the economic decisions taken by households. The sampling frame is taken from all occupied private dwellings from Census of Population 2011, survey size of 10,520. 
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of HFCS data for Researchers  Off-site access 

 

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Irish Health Survey (HS)

Years Available Time Supplier
2001 & 2010   CSO
Keywords Description
Self-perceived Health, Self-perceived longstanding illnesses, Self-perceived limitations in usual activities The Irish Health Survey (IHS) is the Irish version of the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS). This survey fulfils the need for public health policies to obtain reliable data on health status, health care usage and health determinants. It allows for health comparisons to be made across Europe. The statistical population is all individuals aged 15 years or older in the state with a total of 10,323 respondents. The principal variables are the Minimum European Health Module (MEHM), which is comprised of general self-perceived health, self-reported longstanding illnesses and longstanding health problems, and self-reported long-standing limitations in activities people usually do because of health problems.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of HS data for Researchers  Off-site access 

 

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Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)

Years Available Time Supplier
2013 - 2019   Annual CSO
Keywords Description
Level of internet usage, types of connection to internet, reasons for using the internet, sales and purchases via the internet. Collection of information on ICT usage by enterprises
Link to Methodology instructions on the use of ICT data for Researchers

  On-site access

 

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Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Years Available Time Supplier
1998 -Q4 2019 Quarterly CSO
Keywords Description
Employment, Unemployment, Duration of Unemployment, Status of Employment, Industry of Employment The Labour Force Survey (LFS) replaced the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) from Q3 2017. Similar to the QNHS, it is a large-scale, nationwide survey of households in Ireland. It is designed to produce quarterly labour force estimates that include the official measure of employment and unemployment in the state (International Labour Organisation classification). The original QNHS (re-labelled LFS) series from Q1 1998 to Q2 2017 has been adjusted to enable comparability with the new LFS for a number of headline indicators. The new LFS series is available from Q1 1998 to present. The original quarterly sample of 26,000 households has been increased incrementally by 1,300 households from Q3 2017 to account for the additional attrition as a result of the introduction of mixed mode data collection. This has resulted in a total sample of 32,500 from Q3 2018 onwards. The principal variables are ILO status (employed, unemployed etc.), industry of employment, occupation of employment, status of employment, duration of unemployment etc. Indicators are published by a range of classifications including sex, age, nationality, region of residence and highest level of education attained.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of LFS data for Researchers Off-site access 

 

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Labour Market Analysis - (Job Churn)

Years Available Time Supplier
    CSO
Keywords Description
Hirings, Separations, Job creation rate, Job destruction rate, Job churning rate The purpose of Job Churn is to explore the dynamics in business employment – the flow of jobs and persons between firms and within and between sectors. This database product is derived solely from administrative data sources in other Government Departments (Revenue and DEASP) using a methodology adapted from research literature in this area. Job Churn contains both information employees (individual level data) and employers (enterprise level data).
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of Job Churn data for Researchers On-site access 

 

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National Travel Survey (NTS)

Years Available Time Supplier
    CSO
Keywords Description
Number of Journeys, Reason for Journey, Mode of Transport, Duration of Journey, Distance Travelled The National Travel Survey (NTS) is a household survey on the travel behavior of respondents and provides detailed information on the domestic travel patterns of Irish residents. The reference population is all individuals living in private households in Ireland. All usual residents of the household are included. In 2016, detailed information on travel was collected from 11,027 respondents. The principal variables are Demographic variables such as sex, age and geographical location; journey characteristics such as duration and distance as well as key choices in relation to journey such as mode and time of departure.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of NTS data for Researchers  Off-site access 

 

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Place of Work, School or College Anonymised Records (POWSCAR)

Years Available Time Supplier
2006 , 2011 & 2016  Every 5 years  CSO
Keywords Description
POWSC_County, Residence_County, POWSC_CSOED, Residence_CSOED,POWSC_Town, Residence_Town The Place of Work, School or College Census of Anonymised Records relate to persons at work and students in school or college, their place of residence and their place of work, who were enumerated and usually resident in Ireland on Census Night. Persons enumerated in both private dwellings and communal establishments were included. The file specifically excludes visitors who indicated they were usually resident elsewhere abroad in Question 7 on the census form.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of POWSCAR data for Researchers  Off-site access 

 

 

Producer Price Index (PPI)

Years Available Time Supplier
2005 - Present Monthly CSO
Keywords Description
Producer Prices, NACE Groups, Manufacturing, PPI, Input Prices, Output Prices, Exporters The industrial Producer Price Index for a sector measures, in index form, changes in prices received by Irish manufacturers for goods fully or partially produced in Ireland and sold to the home and export markets by that sector. The PPI RMF includes microdata on prices collected by the Producer Prices survey. This survey (formerly the WPI) collects monthly prices for a representative sample of products from a sample of local units in the NACE sectors 05-35. The survey also includes data collected for the other wholesale price index series in the PPI release. These series cover prices for imported and home-produced goods sold by manufacturers and wholesale outlets for Buliding and Construction materials, Capital Goods and Energy Purchased by Manufacturing Industries.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of PPI data for Researchers  On-site access 

 

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QNHS Module on Household Environmental Behaviours (QNHS_ENV)

Years Available Time Supplier
Q2, 2014  Occasional  CSO
Keywords Description
QNHS, CSO, Household Environmental Behaviours, Energy Use, Waste Management This RMF file combines an environmental household behaviours module with a subset of information from the main Quarterly National Household Survey. The interviews were undertaken during April to June 2014. The module focused on the environmental behaviours of households in relation to energy use, waste management, purchasing decisions, and environmental awareness.
The RMF file contains 13,032 observations.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of QNHS_ENV data for Researchers   Off-site access 


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Survey of Income and Living Conditions (SILC)

Years Available Time Supplier
2003 - 2018   CSO
Keywords Description
Household Income, Individual Income, "At risk of poverty" Rate, Consistent Poverty Rate, Rate of Enforced Deprivation The Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) is a collection of information on the income and living conditions of different household types in Ireland, in order to derive indicators on poverty, deprivation and social exclusion. The statistical population is all private households and their current members residing in the state at the time of data collection from 2004-present with a survey size of 5,029 households (12,612 individuals). The principal variables are data on household and individual income as well as a number of key national poverty indicators. For example, the At Risk of Poverty Rate, Deprivation Rate and Consistent Poverty Rate.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of SILC data for Researchers  Off-site access 

 

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Simulating Welfare and Income Tax Changes on Households  (SWITCH)

Years Available Time Supplier
 2014-2016  Ad hoc CSO
Keywords Description
 Household Income, Individual Income, "At risk of poverty" Rate, Consistent Poverty Rate, Rate of Enforced Deprivation The purpose of the ESRI tax-benefit model SWITCH is to inform policy debate and policy choices using nationally representative data. SWITCH uses detailed data on the incomes and other tax and welfare relevant characteristics of the SILC RMF. SWITCH simulates how households are affected by the rules of the current system, and by proposed reforms. The SWITCH model is used for policy research by five government departments (Social Protection, PER, Finance, Health, Children and Youth Affairs) and by the ESRI. Outputs from the SWITCH research programme include independent policy research reports and papers by the ESRI team, and both in-house and public domain analyses of policy issues by Departmental officials. SWITCH outputs are also used for budget planning.
Link to Methodology    Off-site access 

 

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Trade

Years Available Time Supplier
2013 - 2017   CSO
Keywords Description
Date, Company VAT Number, Trade Flow, Commodity Code, Invoice Value, Country of Destination, Country of Origin The Trade RMF is based on extra-EU trade in goods statistics as derived from administrative data of Revenue Commissioners (via the Single Administrative Document) and  intra EU trade in goods statistics which are collected by Revenue Commissioners (via the Intrastat Survey). For extra-EU trade the statistical population is every transaction/consignment over EUR 254 from 1996 onwards. For intra-EU trade all traders (identified by VAT number) whose annual imports exceed €500,000 or annual exports exceed €635,000 must complete the Intrastat survey. VAT returns are used to estimate the Intra-EU trade of traders who fall below these thresholds. The number of consignments each month is approximately 80,000 including imports and exports for non-EU transactions and approximately 7000 traders for EU transactions/ These comprise some 6,000 importers and 2,000 exporters some of which are involved in both importing and exporting of merchandise goods. The principal variables are date, company VAT number, trade flow (import/export), commodity code (CN), invoice value, net mass and/or supplementary units, country of destination/consignment for exports/imports respectively, country of origin for imports, statistical value, delivery terms, mode of transport, nature of transaction. The Trade RMF contains a subset of these variables aggregated to an annual level. The CSO business enterprise number is used as the unique identifier.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of Trade data for Researchers  On-site access 

 

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Vital Statistics (VS)

Years Available Time Supplier
    CSO
Keywords Description
Marriages Registration, Death Registration, Stillbirths Registration, Live Births Registration, Mortality Differentials The data in this survey can be used to calculate natural increase which contributes to the population estimates, used in fertility analysis, mortality analysis, population estimates and life expectancy. The principal variables for this RMF include Age of bride and groom, Previous marital status of bride and groom, Area of residence of bride and groom before and after marriage, Occupation of bride and groom, Place of marriage and Type of marriage ceremony, Date of death, Address of residence of deceased, Place of death, Cause of death, Occupation of deceased, Age of deceased, Sex of deceased, Marital Status of deceased and Birth weight, Gestational Age, Date of birth of infant, Date of birth of parents, Marital status of mother, Number of previous children, County of residence of mother, Multiplicity, Occupation of parents, Baby's forename.
Link to Methodology Instructions on the use of VS data for Researchers  On-site access 

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