The Central Statistics Office (CSO) is Ireland's National Statistical Institute, and our purpose is to impartially collect, analyse and make available statistics about Ireland’s people, society, and economy. At national level, CSO Official Statistics inform decision making across a range of areas including construction, health, welfare, the environment and the economy. At European level, they provide an accurate picture of Ireland’s economic and social performance and enable comparisons between Ireland and other countries. The CSO is the controller for personal data collected from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).
The purpose of processing data that is collected by other public authorities, which is then used by CSO to efficiently accomplish its mandated objectives, is to give effect to the functions of the Central Statistics Office as set out under the Statistics Act 1993.
Access by the CSO to TILDA data is underpinned and provided for by Section 30 of the Statistics Act 1993 - ‘Use of Records of Public Authorities for Statistical Purposes’. This provides for cooperation by public authorities with the work of the CSO in granting access to records held by them.
The exercise by the CSO of its powers under Section 30 of the 1993 Act is undertaken in the context of its legally designated functions, which are set out at Section 10, to collect, analyse and disseminate information on economic, social, and general activities in Ireland.
The legal basis for processing is underpinned by Articles 6(1)(c) and 6(1)(e) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which concerns processing necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller. It is also permitted under Article 9(2)(j), which provides for processing of special category data in the public interest, for research or for statistical purposes
The CSO will collect two categories of TILDA data:
The CSO Administrative Data Centre pseudonymises the data described above. The data produced via this process for analysis purposes is then provided to named statisticians within the CSO once a statistical requirement is identified and extensive governance procedures are followed and approved at management level.
Statistical outputs and reports derived from TILDA data will be used by, for example, government departments and agencies, policymakers, academics, media and the public as well as other national statistical organisations. These will not be at a level of detail that could identify individuals.
Yes, any identifiable data provided to the CSO is considered strictly confidential and may not be shared with any third party, including government departments or bodies. This is underpinned by the Statistics Act, 1993.
At this time, TILDA data is being retained to ensure that statistics can be replicated over time, to facilitate longitudinal studies and time series analysis and to ensure historic statistics can be generated for new data needs as they arise.
TILDA data will be held for 10 years, at which time retention will be reviewed. The CSO continuously evaluates the statistical requirements to balance the interests of data subjects with the requirements for official statistics and retention periods. As part of this evaluation, recommendations may be made during periodic reviews in relation to the retention of data.
No. The CSO will never share any personal data with any third parties – State, commercial or otherwise.
One of the core principles governing the operation of National Statistical Institutes is the protection of the confidentiality of all information supplied by data providers. The CSO’s ability to compile Official Statistics is based on the extent to which individuals and companies trust the CSO with sensitive information and the CSO’s guarantee of confidentiality for all data providers is built on the fundamental requirement of non-disclosure of confidential data as set out in national and EU statistical legislation.
The GDPR confers the following rights on individuals:
Should you wish to exercise these rights directly via the CSO, because your data is processed for statistical purposes, certain limitations in accordance with Article 89 of the GDPR may apply. This is due to the fact that the exercise of any of these rights may render impossible, or seriously impair, the achievement of the statistical processing and such restriction may be necessary for the fulfilment of those purposes. Should you wish to exercise your rights in respect of your data, you may contact the CSO Data Protection Officer, whose contact details are set out below. Applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. It is the intention of the Office to vindicate these rights wherever possible.
Kate Caslin
Administrative Data Centre
Central Statistics Office
Ardee Road
Dublin 6
D06 FX52
adc@cso.ie
Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have a right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission if you consider that processing of your personal data is contrary to data protection law. You have the right to contact the Data Protection Commission with any queries/concerns.
The CSO has appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) in line with our GDPR requirements. The DPO oversees compliance with statistical confidentiality and data protection requirements. If you have any questions about this statement, including any request to exercise your legal rights, please contact or send them to the CSO DPO:
Data Protection Officer
Central Statistics Office
Skehard Road
Cork
T12 X00E
dpo@cso.ie