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Policy and Legislation

Policy and Legislation

CSO statistical publication, , 11am

The CSO, through Ireland's Institute for SDGs (IIS), supports reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals.

SDG 16.9.1 Proportion of Children Under 5 Years of Age Whose Births Have Been Registered with a Civil Authority, by Age

SDG 16.9.1 Proportion of children under 5 years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority, by age - all births are registered in Ireland as it is a legal requirement.

Register a birth in Ireland

The Government of Ireland website states it is a requirement to register the birth of your child no later than three months after his or her birth. Registration is a legal requirement in Ireland, but a birth certificate is also needed to enrol a child in school, to apply for a passport and for many other purposes.

A birth may be registered in the office of any Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths regardless of where it took place.

The birth notification form outlines the information to be recorded in the register of births. If the child is born in hospital, the form is sent to the registrar's office, letting the registrar know that a birth has occurred.

If the child was born at home with the support of a healthcare professional, they should give the parent the signed birth notification form. It must include their registration and PIN, and brought by the parent to the appointment to register the child's birth.

In all cases, attendance is required at a civil registration service, in person, to officially sign the register of births to complete the process of registering a child's birth.

Data for births is published by the CSO in the Vital Statistics Quarterly and Annual reports and in the PxStat database. See Table 8.1.

100%
100% of births are registered in Ireland
8.1 - SDG 16.10.1 Number of Births in Ireland and Birth Rates per 1,000 Population

SDG 16.10.1 Number of Verified Cases of Killing, Kidnapping, Enforced Disappearance, Arbitrary Detention and Torture of Journalists, Associated Media Personnel, Trade Unionists and Human Rights Advocates in the Previous 12 Months

SDG 16.10.1 Number of verified cases of killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture of journalists, associated media personnel, trade unionists and human rights advocates in the previous 12 months.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Annual Report 2021 shows no incidence for Ireland. 

UN SDG Information

The UN SDG Indicators Database provides the following information on SDG 16.10.1 metadata.

Target

The target for this indicator is Target 16.10 which is to:

"Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements".

Definition

This indicator is defined as the number of verified cases of killing, enforced disappearance, torture, arbitrary detention, kidnapping and other harmful acts committed against journalists, trade unionists and human rights defenders on an annual basis.

SDG 16.10.2 Number of Countries that Adopt and Implement Constitutional, Statutory and/or Policy Guarantees for Public Access to Information

SDG 16.10.2 Number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information is published by the Department of Justice (DoJ).

Freedom of Information Act

The DoJ website states that the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act came into effect on 21 April 1998. The FOI Act 2014 was enacted on 14 October 2014.

Under FOI you have a right to:

  • Access records held by a government department or certain public bodies;
  • Request correction of personal information relating to you held by a government department or certain public bodies where it is inaccurate, incomplete or misleading;
  • Obtain reasons for a decision made by a government department or certain public bodies where the decision affects you.
What Records Can I Ask For Under FOI?

You can ask for the following records held by a department or certain bodies:

  • Any records relating to you personally, whenever created please note that all requests for personal information whether submitted by an individual or a solicitor on their behalf must be accompanied by the following:

(a) On behalf of an individual - consent of the individual and photographic identification to be one of the following – a current passport, a current driver's licence or a current public services card.

(b) Individual seeking their own personal records – a current passport, a current driver's licence or a current public services card.

  • All other records created after 21 April 1998.

A ‘record’ can be a paper document, information held on computer, printouts, maps, plans, microfilm, microfiche, audio-visual material, etc.

You do not have to give a reason as to why you want access to particular records, and the government department or body concerned must give you an explanation if it refuses you access to any record that you have looked for. A decision on your FOI application must normally be made within 20 working days.

If you have a specific question on making an FOI request to the DoJ, please visit Freedom of Information.

For more comprehensive information on FOI including the text of the FOI Acts, please visit the FOI Central Policy Unit website.

Office of the Information Commissioner

The Office of the Information Commissioner publishes details of FOI requests in the Annual Reports. Recently published data available in the Annual Report 2021 is presented here.

The report states that public bodies reported a total of 35,673 requests received in 2021, representing an increase of 13% on 2020. This sees a reverse in the trend observed in last year’s report, when the total number of requests received in 2020 had declined by 21% in comparison with 2019. As remarked in the 2020 Annual Report, this reduction was most likely related to COVID-19 and was the first time in nine years that the number of requests to public bodies had decreased. The increase in requests made to public bodies in 2021, as compared with 2020, represents a return to normal trends. 

There were 35,673 FOI requests to all public bodies in 2021, up 13% on the previous year. The Health Service Executive (HSE) received 10,025 FOI requests in 2021, which was more than any other public sector body. The Department of Social Protection (DSP) had the second highest number of FOI requests, receiving 1,733 requests in 2021. See Table 8.2.

8.2 - SDG 16.10.2 Top Ten Bodies who Received the Most Freedom of Information Requests During 2021

Figure 8.1 shows the sectoral breakdown of FOI requests to public bodies. Around 39% of FOI requests were to government departments and state bodies. Over a quarter (28%) of FOI requests were received by the HSE.

2021
Govt Depts
and State
Bodies
38.9
Local Authorities 13.7
Voluntary Hospitals, Mental Health Services etc15.3
HSE28.1
Third Level Institutions3
Other Bodies1

SDG 16.a.1 Existence of Independent National Human Rights Institutions in Compliance with the Paris Principles

SDG 16.a.1 Existence of independent national human rights institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles is published by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.

Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) is Ireland’s national human rights and equality institution.

IHREC are an independent public body that accounts to the Oireachtas, with a mandate established under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 (IHREC Act 2014). The IHREC Act includes and further enhances the functions of the former Irish Human Rights Commission and the former Equality Authority.

IHREC’s purpose is to protect and promote human rights and equality in Ireland and build a culture of respect for human rights, equality and intercultural understanding in the State.

IHREC’s work is determined independently by the fifteen members of the Commission who were appointed by our Head of State, President Michael D. Higgins, in 2014. The diverse membership of the Commission broadly reflects the nature of Irish society.

IHREC work in a variety of ways to protect and promote human rights and equality in Ireland.

The work of the Commission ranges from working at the policy level to review the effectiveness of human rights and equality law, policy and practice in the State and within public bodies, to working with communities and civil society to monitor and report on people’s real life experiences of human rights and equality on the ground.

IHREC’s legal powers include giving practical help, including legal assistance to help people defend their rights, and contributing to legal cases (amicus curiae) that deal with someone’s equality or human rights.

Whether addressing individual concerns, engaging with government or public bodies on policy and practice issues or raising awareness with public audiences on human rights and equality, IHREC’s task is to build a fair and inclusive society that protects and promotes human rights and equality.

IHREC’s vision is of an inclusive Ireland where human rights and equality are respected, protected and fulfilled for everyone, everywhere.

For further information see IHREC Strategy Statement 2022-2024.

SDG 16.b.1 Proportion of Population Reporting Having Personally Felt Discriminated Against or Harassed in the Previous 12 Months on the Basis of a Ground of Discrimination Prohibited Under International Human Rights Law

SDG 16.b.1 Proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law is published in the CSO, Equality and Discrimination report.

Equality and Discrimination - CSO

The following information is extracted from the CSO's Equality and Discrimination 2019 report.

Users should note that the survey instrument used to carry out the equality and discrimination survey has changed since the survey was last carried out in Quarter 3 2014. Previously it was carried out as a module of the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS). The Labour Force Survey (LFS) has now replaced the QNHS.  With this change, surveys previously carried out as modules of the QNHS, are now carried out for the most part in the General Household Survey (GHS). This change has affected sample size. The achieved sample size for the Q1 2019 survey was 3,971 respondents. Further information is available in the background notes of the report. It should be noted that a national sample of this size can be insufficient to report on minority groups.

It should also be noted that in the Q1 2019 Equality and Discrimination survey, an additional category of discrimination was included – discrimination experienced 'In contact with An Garda Síochána'. This category of discrimination was not included in previous years’ surveys. See the section ‘Discrimination levels over time’ in the 2019 report for more information.

Table 8.1 below shows that just under one in five (18%) people aged 18 or over said they felt discriminated against in the two years before the interview.

The highest rates of perceived discrimination in Q1 2019 were reported by:

  • Persons identifying as LGBTI+ (33.2%) 
  • Persons from non-white ethnic backgrounds (33.1%)
  • Unemployed people (30.2%)
  • Non-Irish nationals (26.7%)
  • People with a disability (24.1%) 

The rate of discrimination reported by people who do not identify as LGBTI+ at 17.2% was nearly half the rate reported by those who do identify as LGBTI+ at 33.2%.

Only 16.7% of people with no disability reported discrimination compared with 24.1% of those with a disability.  See Table 8.3 and Figure 8.2.

33.2%
In 2019, 33.2% of persons identifying as LGBTI+ had experienced discrimination in the past 2 years
8.3 - SDG 16.b.1 All Persons Aged 18 Years and Over Classified by their Reported Experience of Discrimination in the Past Two Years

Q1 2019
At Work17.1
Unemployed30.2
Student21.9
Home Duties14.1
Retired12.4
LGBTI+33.2
Non LGBTI+17.2
Irish16.3
Non Irish26.7

Type of Discrimination

There are many types of discrimination. Workplace discrimination can happen either in the workplace and/or while looking for work. Discrimination experienced in accessing services can happen in many places, including shops, pubs, restaurants, banks, insurance companies, financial institutions, education, looking for housing or accommodation, accessing health services, transport services, other public services and contact with An Garda Síochána.

Discrimination when accessing services was reported by 11.8% of people while 9.4% said they had experienced it in the workplace and/or while looking for work. See Table 4.10.

Persons who experienced workplace discrimination were predominantly from the following groups:

  • Unemployed (24.6%)
  • Non-white ethnic backgrounds (19.8%)
  • Persons who identify as LGBTI+ (17.5%)
  • Non-Irish (14.4%)
  • Persons with a disability (12.3%)
  • Persons aged 25 to 44 years (11.0%)
  • Females (10.6%) 

Persons most at risk of experiencing discrimination when accessing services were from the following groups:

  • Non-white ethnic backgrounds (23.1%)
  • Persons who identify as LGBTI+ (19.6%)
  • Non-Catholics (19.2%)
  • Persons aged 18 to 24 years (19.1%)
  • Persons with a disability (18.3%)
  • Unemployed (17.4%)
  • Non-Irish (17.4%)

Experiencing both types of discrimination – in the workplace and in accessing services – was reported by just 3.5% of people aged 18 years and over.

About one in ten people who were unemployed (10.8%) or who were from a non-white ethnic background (10.1%) experienced both types of discrimination. Just 3.9% of people who identified as LGBTI+ experienced both types of discrimination. See Table 8.4.

8.4 - SDG 16.b.1 All Persons Aged 18 Years and Over Classified by Type of Discrimination Experienced in the Past Two Years