Improvement Actions Ireland

Recommendation 19

The Central Statistics Office should consider ways to reform the access to microdata for research and to facilitate such access for different categories of users without compromising data confidentiality. (Improvement-related: ES CoP, Indicator 15.4).

Current situation:

The CSO has developed an online system for researcher access which will be rolled out in early 2023, and many smaller reforms are taking place in the context of ongoing liaison with researchers. In addition to CSO’s current liaison group with the Irish Economic Association, CSO is developing links with researchers in its own research programme and through engagement with Science Foundation Ireland research programmes.

Improvement sub-action 19.1:

Streamline Research Microdata File (RMF) access. Streamline application and approval process for access to RMFs. A new online system for managing the application, approval and access to RMF datasets has been developed by CSO IT. This will give visibility to researchers and CSO staff on all stages of the application process and will facilitate more accurate reporting on processing times.

Deadline:

Q4 2024.

Responsible institution for improvement sub-action 19.1:

Central Statistics Office.

Improvement sub-action 19.2:

Agree governance with stakeholders. It is likely that different levels of administrative data access will be facilitated for different types of researchers in future, based on a public interest test, in addition to necessity and proportionality. This may require new governance structures for advising CSO on research projects, in addition to more bespoke data provision in future. CSO will involve stakeholders in the new structures which may need a legal basis. The CSO will develop guidelines for the different levels of access (e.g., different sampling rates) that different categories of users can expect under the public interest test in consultation with the new governance supports.

Deadline:

Q4 2024.

Responsible institution for improvement sub-action 19.2:

Central Statistics Office.

Recommendation 20

The Central Statistics Office should pursue user and non-user surveys at a frequency of not less than every third year. In this context, the Central Statistics Office may consider opening such surveys to cover other producers of official statistics as well. (Improvement-related: ES CoP, Indicator 11.3).

Current situation:

The 2022 User and non-user Survey has been completed and the results have been compiled and are attached. The last time CSO did such a survey was 2017.

Improvement sub-action 20.1:

High-level customer and non-user survey. The CSO will conduct a high-level customer and non-user survey every three years. This means that the next survey will be conducted in 2025.

Deadline:

Q4 2025.

Responsible institution for improvement sub-action 20.1:

Central Statistics Office.

Improvement sub-action 20.2:

Analyse the possibility to cover other producers. As regards extending the surveys to cover the producers of official statistics, the CSO will consider whether a question can be incorporated into the 2025 survey to measure awareness of official statistics produced by other Government bodies. In addition, the CSO will consider whether it would be worth encouraging other Government departments and producers of official statistics to conduct their own tailored user surveys.

Deadline:

Q2 2025.

Responsible institution for improvement sub-action 20.2:

Central Statistics Office.

Improvement sub-action 20.3:

Introduce Pop-ups and analytical tools. Consider the introduction of user feedback pop-ups on www.cso.ie and explore the use of other analytical tools.

Deadline:

Q4 2025.

Responsible institution for improvement sub-action 20.3:

Central Statistics Office.