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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 as mandated by the Statistics Act 1993.
At national level, CSO Official Statistics inform decision making across a range of areas including social policy, health, welfare, the environment and the economy. At European level, they enable comparisons between Ireland and other countries. The CSO is also responsible for coordinating the Official Statistics of other public authorities.
The CSO is the Data Controller for the datasets which it receives from Tusla.
The CSO receives two data flows from Tusla:
The dataset extracts received by the CSO contain details such as gender, nationality, date of birth, care placement dates and types, legal status, school id and PPSN. They do not contain names and addresses.
The data is received in the CSO by a dedicated unit called the Administrative Data Centre (ADC), which is a specialist team responsible for storing records in a format accessible for statistical analysis. This includes pseudonymising the data to remove identifying details and replace them with values which do not allow individuals to be directly identified. This includes converting the identifier numbers in each dataset to a Protected Identifier Key (PIK). PIKs are a unique and non-identifiable number which is internal to the CSO. Using PIKs enables the CSO to link to other pseudonymised data and analyse data for statistical purposes, while protecting the security and confidentiality of the individual data.
The purpose of processing this data is to provide statistical analysis of educational attainment and school attendance of children in care. This type of analysis is not available elsewhere and requires matching CSO-held administrative datasets with data received from Tusla. The aim is to provide statistical information that can be useful and relevant to policy-makers, researchers and the public, including parents, carers and care-leavers.
Access by the CSO to the Tusla 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 administrative 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) (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 ADC pseudonymises the data as 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 Tusla 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 in the Statistics Act, 1993.
At this time, Tusla 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.
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 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) confers the following rights on individuals:
An individual right of access to the personal data furnished by a Public Service Body (PSB) is possible. Data Subjects seeking to exercise GDPR rights over their personal data may wish to engage with Tusla as the controller of the original data.
Should you wish to exercise these rights directly via the CSO, certain limitations in accordance with Article 89 of the GDPR may apply because your data is processed for statistical purposes. This is because 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 Tusla data, you may contact the CSO Data Protection Officer at the details set out below. Applications for access will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Tusla
Aideen Sheehan, Statistician, Statistical Systems Coordination Unit, Central Statistics Office, Ardee Road, Dublin D06 FX52
Tel +353 (21) 498 4085 Email: sscu@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. The contact details of the Commission are:
By post: Office of the Data Protection Commission, 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28, Ireland.
By email: info@dataprotection.ie
By phone: 01 7650100 / 1800 437 737
Online: https://www.dataprotection.ie/
The CSO’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) is responsible for overseeing questions in relation to this Transparency Notice (contact details below). 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,
T12 X00E
Tel: 021-453 5000
Email: dpo@cso.ie
https://www.cso.ie/en/methods/administrativedata/administrativedatafaq/