CSO COVID-19 Data Research Hub Summary Data Protection Impact Assessment (1204)

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) is Ireland’s National Statistical Institute and the functions of the Office are to collect, analyse and make available statistics describing Ireland’s people, economy, society and environment through verifiable data and accurate information, while providing impartial insight. Our statistical products are freely accessible, and our outputs are a public good; our work complies with the highest international standards for the compilation of Official Statistics and we are legally obliged, and therefore guarantee, to only ever use data provided to us for statistical purposes. By act of law, no information provided to the CSO for statistical purposes may be shared in a personally identifiable format with any third party. This assurance underpins everything we do.

The legal basis directing the work of the CSO is set out in domestic legislation through the Statistics Act, 1993, while our activities as a National Statistical Institute under the European Statistical System (ESS) are regulated by EU Regulation 223/2009, as amended by EU Regulation 759/2015. These statutes underscore the fundamental principles of independence and data subject confidentiality, which are the bedrock of the production of Official Statistics in the European Union. The CSO produces Official Statistics for Ireland and co-ordinates the production of Official Statistics compiled by other public authorities.

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’s statistical expertise may be leveraged, consistent with data protection and other relevant law as may apply, to inform and support the Government, government agencies and offices in their response to key issues of public importance, but only consistent with the fundamental obligations of confidentiality and independence inherent in the mandate of the Office. The Director General of the CSO has sole responsibility for, and is independent in the exercise of, the functions of deciding the methodology, professional standards, content, timing,and mechanisms for statistical releases and publications.

The following Summary DPIA sets out the legal basis and public policy rationale for the CSO to provide approved researchers from registered research organisations with access to specified flows of pseudonymised COVID-19 health-related personal data in support of Ireland’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose for the processing of the data flows set out in this DPIA is to provide a secure, data protection compliant repository of pseudonymised public health data sets, for use by the CSO, epidemiologists and other approved health analysts involved in advising on Ireland’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and informing the public regarding the evolution of the pandemic health situation in Ireland. It sets out the key regulatory and governance arrangements applying to this statistical exercise, in order to protect the personal data rights of data subjects and to ensure compliance with the Statistics Act, 1993 and applicable Data Protection law. The CSO has consulted with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner in relation to this statistical
processing. The related transparency notice is available here.