Improvement Actions Ireland

Introduction

In 2022, Eurostat – the statistical office of the European Union – conducted a peer review of the Irish Statistical System. These peer reviews are routinely conducted to ensure international best practices are applied in the statistical systems of the member states of the European Union. As the National Statistical Institute for Ireland, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is responsible for considering the recommendations of the peer review and implementing any identified improvement actions. This release highlights the 20 recommendations of the peer review and the CSO’s response.

Recommendations from the Peer Review and the Response from the National Statistical System of Ireland

Recommendation 1

In the monitoring of the statistical standards of Other National Authorities developing, producing and disseminating European statistics and other producers of Irish official statistics, the Central Statistics Office should consider moving to a unified benchmark by aligning the Irish Statistical System Code of Practice with the ES CoP, which would simplify communication, enhance understanding and send a signal of increased ambition. (Improvement-related: ES CoP, Indicator 1bis.2).

Current Situation:

European statistics are produced in adherence to the European Statistics Code of Practice (ESCoP), which is consistent with the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. These codes provide the necessary assurances that statistics are compiled in an objective and independent manner and in accordance with sound statistical and data management principles. Both Official and European statistics are compiled by a wide range of public authorities in Ireland.

While all compilers of European statistics in Ireland adhere to the ES CoP, there were initially no standards in place for the compilation of other Official Statistics by public authorities other than the CSO. It is in this context that the Public Service Reform plan, published in November 2011, tasked the CSO with developing a code of practice for the compilation of Official Statistics produced within the Irish Statistical System. The code of practice delivered by the CSO, and called the Irish Statistical Code of Practice (ISS CoP) is a subset of the ES CoP, based on five principles:

• Professional Independence
• Timeliness and Punctuality
• Accessibility and Clarity
• Commitment to Quality
• Confidentiality

Only those statistics that are assessed as compliant with the ISS CoP may be published under the ISS CoP Logo. As part of the ISS CoP certification process, the public authority seeking to have a statistical product reviewed for compliance with the ISS CoP must submit a self-assessment questionnaire to the CSO. If the public authority is seeking the ISS CoP logo for a European statistic, the public authority will be required to complete the ES CoP self-assessment questionnaire, based on the principles of the ES CoP. If the public authority is seeking the ISS CoP for other national Official Statistics, they are currently required to submit a self-assessment questionnaire based on the five principles of the ISS CoP.

Improvement sub-action 1.1:

Align the Irish Statistical System Code of Practice (ISS CoP) benchmark with the European Statistical Code of Practice (ES CoP) The CSO will promote the adherence to the ES CoP through CSO chaired interdepartmental forums like the Formal Statistician Liaison Group, Irish Government Statistical Service, and the National Data Infrastructure Champions Group and consult the national statistical producers to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a uniform benchmark for European and national statistics, highlighting if two separate benchmarks are still required and whether we can align the ISS COP and ES CoP at a greater pace. The CSO will report on the outcome of these consultations so that users are clear on the final decision and rationale behind the benchmarks being used.

Deadline:

Q2 2025.

Responsible institution for improvement sub-action 1.1:

Central Statistics Office.

Improvement sub-action 1.2:

Revamp the website www.isscop.ie. The CSO will include additional components on the CSO’s work including new sections on the National Data Infrastructure, and Irish Government Statistical Service page etc, to further encourage Departments/Agencies compiling Official Statistics to assess themselves against the ES CoP. The site would serve to continue to promote those Official Statistics (including European Statistics) that have been successfully assigned the ISS CoP logo up to the present time. The website would also be used as a reference tool when contacting individual Departments/Agencies when requesting a self-assessment questionnaire to be submitted to the CSO.

Deadline:

Q4 of 2024.

Responsible institution for improvement sub-action 1.2:

Central Statistics Office. 

Recommendation 2

The Central Statistics Office should build on the present good progress in certification of producers of official statistics to clarify the future of the monitoring process in this area, including the potential use of a peer review mechanism, while working to obtain funding to support the necessary monitoring. (Improvement-related: ES CoP, Indicator 1bis.2).

Current Situation:

The current objective of the CSO is to get public authorities engaged in the ISS CoP certification process, and to generate awareness around the ES CoP. Several public authorities are engaged in the process and the number of statistics certified is growing. Once a public authority submits a self-assessment questionnaire, there is an independent CSO peer review. Members of the internal CSO peer review group are drawn from at least three different divisions from within the CSO.

Improvement sub-action 2.1: 

Review of existing ISS CoP certified statistical products. The CSO will continue this progress, raffirm the robustness of the ISS CoP certification and intends to conduct a follow-up review of the awarded European Statistic/Official Statistic every five years after the initial assignment of the ISS CoP logo for the specific statistic(s).

Deadline:

Q4 2024.

Responsible institution for improvement sub-action 2.1:

Central Statistics Office and respective public sector bodies.

Improvement sub-action 2.2:

Expand the ISS CoP peer review mechanism. CSO plans to review the existing ISS CoP audit process and create a “peer review audit board” including a representative from an external independent public authority and seconded senior statisticians¹. This sub-action will require compiling the external representative’s threshold requirements needed to be a member of the peer review audit board.

Deadline:

Q4 2025.

Responsible institution for improvement sub-action 2.2:

Central Statistics Office and respective public sector bodies.

Improvement sub-action 2.3:

Task the peer review audit board with assessing and reviewing the findings of the internal CSO review group prior to the final submission of a recommendation for certification to the CSO Management Board.

Deadline:

Q4 2025.

Responsible institution for improvement sub-action 2.3:

Central Statistics Office and respective public sector bodies.

Improvement sub-action 2.4:

Task the peer review audit board to discuss the expansion of the ISS CoP certification process within public authorities and to discuss the strategic direction of the ISS CoP process overall.

Deadline:

Q4 2025.

Responsible institution for improvement sub-action 2.4:

Central Statistics Office and respective public sector bodies. 

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¹CSO second statistical staff in various Government Departments/Agencies (known as the “the Host Organisation”), These staff work in the host organisation but are employed by CSO to support the IGSS, and ISS staff who work closely with the CSO.