Mandate of the Central Statistics Office
The Central Statistics Office was established in 1949 as Ireland's national statistical office. Its status was formalised in legislation with the enactment of the Statistics Act, 1993. The mandate of the CSO, as set out in that Act, is
"The collection, compilation, extraction and dissemination for statistical purposes of information relating to economic, social and general activities and conditions in the State".
(Section 3, Statistics Act 1993)
The Statistics Act, 1993
The Statistics Act, 1993 provides the legislative basis for the collection, compilation, extraction and dissemination of official statistics. The Act protects the confidentiality of the information provided to the CSO, which may only be used for statistical purposes; and confidential data may not be disseminated or otherwise communicated to third parties, including Government Departments or bodies.
Key extracts from the Statistics Act, 1993, relating to the Institutional Structure, Functions of the Office, the Director General and Independence on Statistical Matters are set out in Appendix 1.
The Office exists primarily to provide high quality impartial and relevant
statistical information to meet the needs of policy makers at national, regional and local level, decision makers in the business community, EU institutions, international organisations, media, researchers, and the public generally.
The Office also has the authority to co-ordinate official statistics compiled by public authorities to ensure, in particular, adherence to statistical standards and the use of appropriate classifications; assess the statistical potential of the records maintained by public authorities and, in conjunction with them, to ensure that this potential is realised in so far as resources permit.
European Union Legislation
A revision of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 which established a legal framework for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics occurred in 2015. Regulation (EU) 2015/759, amending Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European Statistics, made the Director General responsible for the co-ordination and oversight of the quality of all European Official Statistics compiled by public authorities in Ireland. This introduced a fundamental change to the role of the CSO and the Director General.
National Statistics Board
The National Statistics Board was initially set up on a non-statutory basis in 1986. It was established on a statutory basis when the Statistics Act, 1993 came into operation in November 1994. Its function, set out in the Act, is to guide the strategic direction of the CSO and, in particular to: establish priorities for the compilation and development of official statistics; assess the resources of staff, equipment and finance which should be made available for the compilation of official statistics; and arbitrate, subject to the final decision of the Taoiseach, on any conflicts that may arise with other public authorities relating to the extraction of statistics from records or to the co-ordination of statistical activities.
The CSO’s Guiding Values
The independent position of the CSO, as defined in the Statistics Act, 1993, reflects international best practice for the compilation of official statistics. The CSO subscribes fully to the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and the European Statistics Code of Practice.
The CSO abides by the core values of
Independence, objectivity and integrity
The CSO's values are also consistent with those expressed in the Civil Service Renewal Plan which includes a deep-rooted public service ethos of independence, integrity, impartiality, equality, fairness and respect and a culture of accountability, efficiency and value for money.
The CSO’s values are also informed by the Code of Standards and Behaviours for Civil Servants produced by the Standards in Public Office Commission, the Ethics in Public Office Acts 1995 and 2001 and the Guidelines on Compliance with the Provisions of the Ethics In Public Office Acts as produced by the Standards in Public Office Commission.
Legal Obligations relating to the Core Value of Confidentiality
Under section 21 of the Statistics Act, every member of staff of the CSO are designated as Officers of Statistics and are legally bound to uphold the confidentiality of the data accessed in the performance of their duties. All Officers of Statistics sign a declaration of secrecy.
CSO staff are also subject to the provisions of the Official Secrets Act 1963 and in particular to the provision that:
“4.—(1) A person shall not communicate any official information to any other person unless he is duly authorised to do so or does so in the course of and in accordance with his duties as the holder of a public office or when it is his duty in the interest of the State to communicate it.”
Although underpinned by law it is essential that respondents to statistical inquiries (and the persons or undertakings for which statistical information is obtained from administrative sources) are fully assured that the CSO protects the confidentiality of the particulars relating to them and that they are used only for statistical purposes. The CSO has a long-standing reputation for protecting the information it collects.
Concerns about data protection are, however, increasing and it is vitally important that the CSO maintains the trust of all sectors of the community in this regard. The Code of Practice on Statistical Confidentiality reinforces existing legal assurances and outlines the practical steps CSO takes to protect confidential data.
The CSO also complies with the Data Protection legislation.
Mechanisms for fostering an effective governance culture
The CSO has a number of processes and structures available to staff to inform them of their various CSO and civil service wide policy obligations. All staff are provided with induction training where the Director General emphasises the importance of governance in the Office.
Internal Complaints Procedure for Staff
The Central Statistics Office is committed to fostering an environment which facilitates the raising of concerns by staff in relation to the work of the Office. The CSO has put in place procedures for managing protected disclosure in the CSO as required by the Protected Disclosures Act, 2014.
Customer Complaints Procedure
The CSO is committed to providing a high quality service and if customers are not happy with any aspect of the service provided, they should contact the Office using the CSO’s customer complaints procedure.
The CSO has approximately 1100 permanent staff located in its Cork and Dublin Offices at Rathmines and Swords. In addition about 100 field-staff are deployed throughout the country to conduct the continuous household surveys and passenger inquiries at airports and seaports.
• Director General: Under Section 12 of the 1993 Statistics Act, the Director General of the CSO is appointed by the President of Ireland following nomination by the Taoiseach. The Director General is selected via an open competition conducted by the Top Level Appointments Committee (TLAC) and the post is at Secretary General Level. The Director General is a civil servant of the State and is a corporation sole.
• Management Board: The Management Board is the primary decision making committee within the Central Statistics Office and provides the leadership and management required at a corporate level in the CSO. The Management Board comprises the Director General of the CSO (Chair), 5 Assistant Directors General and one Director. The Management Board meets weekly. The terms of reference are available at Appendix 2.
• Directorate Structure: The Office comprises seven Directorates as follows:
Demography & Housing Directorate – responsible for the conduct and development of the CSO’s major household surveys and for the compilation of statistics on the labour market, including earnings and labour costs; social inclusion; Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) survey; Safety of the Persons Survey (SOP); crime and victimisation; income, expenditure and wealth, education, and other social issues. This directorate is responsible for five-yearly Census of Population.
National Accounts & Prices Statistics – Overall management of National Accounts & Prices Statistics and co-ordination responsibility in relation to Enterprise statistics
Economic Directorate – responsible for the development/compilation of: national accounts; financial accounts; Government accounts; balance of payments, international investment position, foreign direct investment and international trade in services statistics; and external trade statistics.
Climate, Environment, Enterprises & Sustainability Directorate – responsible for the compilation of business statistics, including statistics on industry, building and construction, services, tourism, transport, agriculture, climate, environment, ecosystem accounts, wellbeing and sustainable developments.
Corporate Affairs Directorate. Responsible for strategic and operational support functions including Human Resources, Finance, Communication and Dissemination and Facilities Management.
Technology and Statistical Services Directorate - responsible for providing reliable, secure and innovative data, methodological and technology services within a robust quality framework. The integration of technology and methodology, together with drawing on international standards and best practice, will be a critical enabler to the transformation of the CSO’s statistics and analysis.
Statistical System Coordination Directorate - responsible for developing and coordinating the CSO's Statistical System Coordination work programme; promoting and building an awareness and acceptance of the CSO's role across the public service, developing structures to formalise the coordination role. This directorate is also responsible for the production of customised policy and multidimensional publications and researcher access to microdata.
International Accounts, Trade & Government Finance Statistics -responsible for the delivery and developing the International Accounts, Trade and Government Finance Statistics directorates programme of activities.
• Division Structure: Each Directorate is managed by an Assistant Director General and comprises one or more Divisions managed by a Senior Statistician or a Principal Officer. There are over 50 Divisions. The organisation structure is available on the CSO website. Details of the roles and responsibilities of each Head of Division are outlined in the next chapter.
The CSO’s strategic planning is informed by both national and international developments which include:
• Strategic Planning Process-European: The European Statistical System (ESS) has a significant impact on the work of the CSO – the vast majority of the statistics produced by the CSO are required under EU statistical legislation. The European Statistical Programme, which is widely accepted as setting a world standard, has been the main driver of statistical developments in the Member States in recent decades. The CSO actively engages at international level so that the Irish viewpoint and circumstances are taken into account to the maximum extent.
• Strategic Planning Process-National: On a national stage, the NSB’s Strategy for Statistics 2021-2026, which is published every five years, is a driver for the work of the CSO and impacts on strategic planning.
• Statement of Strategy Process: The CSO publishes a Statement of Strategy every three years, under the terms of the Public Service Management Act. The CSO also publishes an Annual Progress Report on the Statement of Strategy. The CSO’s Statement of Strategy 2020-2023, focuses on the provision of a continuous improvement in service to customers and positioning the CSO to meet future requirements of official statistics. The Statement of Strategy 2020-2023 and the earlier longer term CSO 2030 strategy were approved by the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach.
• Long Term Strategy CSO 2030: CSO developed a long term strategy for the CSO in 2020. “CSO 2030” was developed following discussions with a broad range of stakeholders and places service to customers at the centre of the strategy. The CSO 2030 programme aims to transform how the CSO works, in order to better respond to key customer needs with relevant, timely, independent and objective information, enabling them to make informed decisions.
The CSO 2030 programme addresses the following objectives;
• The International, Policy and Planning Division supports the Management Board (MB) in the planning, delivery, measurement and review of CSO outputs and goals. The division focuses on aligning work to the CSO Statements of Strategy, CSO 2030, other CSO governance processes and strategies and Civil Service Reform Initiatives. The Division reviewed these strategies and the external drivers for change. The division has developed and refined a new business process model based on the International Statistical model of the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM). In consultation with all staff a framework has been created which encompasses the new model of statistical delivery together with the organisational capability measures required to bring about transformation.
An intensive programme of staff engagement in relation to the implementation of the transformation process took place in 2015. The Management Board has identified the corporate priorities which must be completed in order to implement the new model. The CSO is focused on delivering a transformation programme with enhanced models/processes of statistical delivery and improved organisational capability.
Each year Heads of Division are required to set out the key priorities (operational and strategic), with associated SMART actions, for their Divisions based on the Statement of Strategy, CSO 2030, the Local Business Plans and the work programme.
The Divisional Action Plans (DAPs) process starts with the development of Local Business Plans (LBPs) which involves staff at all levels in each section within the Division. The DAP provides a summary of the Local Business Plans (LBPs) and is agreed initially between the Head of Division and the relevant Assistant Secretary/Director in December of each year.
In January each HOD must present, in a face-to-face meeting, their DAP for the year ahead to the Management Board for final agreement. This meeting, in addition to looking to the year ahead, also serves as an annual review of the previous years’ DAP. A mid-year DAP review (face-to face with the Management Board) in June of each year is also conducted to monitor progress.
The LBPs and DAPs inform the goal setting required as part of the Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) process. Staff set out their goals in January and agree them with their line managers. They also identify any learning and development needs. Progress is reviewed with the line manager in June and in an end of year performance review in December.
The current internal communication channels include the following:
• Increased Leadership Visibility: CSOConnect has also been instrumental in connecting our Management Board (MB) with all staff across our locations. Internal Communications and Engagement have developed a suite of communication tools to engage staff with our MB; one example is, The Directors Cut. The Directors cut has two elements, a blog post, and a live video interview. This is rotated amongst the MB members so that we publish a blog or an interview each month. This is a chance for MB members to convey key messages to staff, connect on a social level and let staff know what is happening in their world. We also communicate leadership messages through multimedia sources for maximum reach and engagement. The Management Board minutes are published weekly and made available to all staff. CSOConnect also provides metrics on each posting enabling us to tweak our communications for maximum reach. In September 2022, we plan to launch our “MB Communique”, a bi-yearly newsletter detailing each directorate’s key outputs and upcoming plans.
• Management Fora: The Senior Management Group (SMG) comprises heads of Division (Senior Statistician/Principal Officer). The SMG is an important forum where senior managers can contribute to the overall corporate decisions affecting the Office. It meets four times a year and allows the Management Board and SMG to exchange views about issues affecting the organisation. More recently, the SMG has had extra meetings regarding specific items that require their engagement and input. GMF; The General Management Forum (GMF) comprises members of the Statistician and Assistant Principal grade in the Central Statistics Office and those seconded to the IGSS (Irish government Statistical System) and the SMG. The primary role of the GMF is as a management forum whereby middle managers can engage with and contribute to corporate, management and professional topics. Several working groups are formed from the GMF Executive group, which arrange their members' activities and engagement opportunities. The GMF bitesize series
is a short presentation session where members of the GMF, including those seconded to other Government departments, share knowledge and present on exciting topics. It is a way to build connections by sharing new ways of doing things and emerging data stories.
• Employee Engagement: CSOConnect has enhanced employee communications throughout our organisation. It provides staff with a familiar social platform to interact with their colleagues and a personalised news feed to keep the content relevant to individual interests. One of the platform’s main advantages is the focus on collaboration through community spaces. These spaces enable staff to interact and collaborate on shared interests, projects, and work areas. CSOConnect also focuses on employee recognition with the “shout-outs” feature, celebrating individual and team achievements throughout the CSO.
The CSO provides communication and engagement opportunities to all staff through a mixed mode of delivery, such as video, posts, polls, and pulse surveys. The likes and comment features provide a platform for direct feedback from staff.
• Staff Engagement and Innovation Programme;
The aim of the Staff Engagement & Innovation programme is to:
Enable staff to influence change on work and staff related issues from the ground up
Enable staff to have the power to raise and progress issues, ideas and changes that would benefit the CSO
Make people’s work more interesting and increase ownership of their work
Benefit the CSO in ensuring it succeeds in its aims
The programme is overseen by the Engagement & Innovation Board which is a structure to allow a partnership of management, staff and unions to provide strategic leadership and direction to the Staff Engagement & Innovation Programme.
• The Departmental Council: The Departmental Council provides a channel for management, staff and union representatives to discuss issues affecting the CSO.
• Staff Information and Engagement Events: Internal Communications and Engagement launched virtual town halls in 2020, “CSOPresents”. This allows all staff to join a live call where presenters share critical information with staff. We have held a number of these over the last two years. In 2022 the GMF held a digital-first conference for its members where new ways of communicating were trialled, such as using the CSOConnect app to share information and introducing panel discussions instead of more traditional presentations.
• CSO Communication Tools (Sharing Knowledge): Internal Communications and Engagement in the CSO have developed several ways for staff to connect, share ideas and learn new ways of doing things. “Stay Connected” is an example; it comprises a short presentation series for all staff, informing them of new projects and exciting concepts across the office. Our “Gets the Stats on” series also presents an avenue of connection for staff, this comprises short video interviews with staff members, and we have great engagement on these. More recently (June 2022), we launched a lighter “Get the Stats on” series focussing on social chats with staff, which also had a great reaction.
The CSO publishes a bi-monthly newsletter to advise staff about organisation development. In addition, staff are informed of developments via an electronic bulletin board which is updated daily, via regular local section meetings and using posters in the office and on our TV in our three offices.
The CSO’s intranet includes information on corporate policies and civil service-wide policy obligations. We host a range of office notices and historical data for staff to access anytime. Key areas and sections in the CSO also have static homepages that display information that staff need to know, such as Data Management Policy, Procurement Policy, and Health and Safety information.
Internal Communications and Engagement also links with our press office to internally publicise statistical releases for all staff.
The CSO engages with a large variety of external stakeholders including the general public, policy makers, researchers, survey respondents, and media outlets, as outlined below;
• Customers - Statistical Products: The CSO delivers an annual statistical programme and are continuously developing a range of new statistical products to meet customer needs and increased legislative demands. This material is all published on www.cso.ie and on CSO’s PxStat Dissemination Database on data.cso.ie
• Customers - Improved communication tools: The CSO are continually improving our communications tools to ensure that our statistical releases are clearly written and accessible to a wide audience. We periodically engage with our users through the customer satisfaction survey to ensure they are at the heart of our communication strategy.
We aim to develop the CSO website to ensure ease of access and positive user experience for all. We make our products available in a broad range of formats to support the needs of our various users, including infographics, audio and video clips, and interactive visualisations.
The CSO strive to identify new technology developments that will enhance user experiece and understanding of our data as well as promoting greater engagement with our statistics and awareness of the CSO.
• International Community: The goal of the CSO of being highly influential within the international statistical system is set out in the vision document, CSO 2030. This goal has been advanced within the EU by taking a leading role in the European Statistical System Committee. As a member of the European Statistical System the CSO participates in a wide range of EU Working Party Groups, Task Forces and Committee Meetings relating to the development of harmonised statistical methodology, the drafting of statistical legislation, and the assessment of statistical standards and quality. The CSO networks with other National Statistical Institutes (NSIs), exchanging views, experiences and solutions on methodological and technical issues.
The CSO complies with European Regulations for transmission of statistical outputs to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. CSO also compiles statistics as required by legislation for the European Central Bank.
Within the United Nations structures the Director General of the CSO is the Chair of the Conference of European Statisticians (CES) Bureau which provides vision and direction to all activities of the Conference of European Statisticians. The CSO has also taken a lead role in the UNECE High Level Group on the Modernisation of Official Statistics (HLG MOS) which drives many of the advancements in technology and methodology taking place in the official statistical domain. The CSO is also collaborating with the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD) on matters relating to globalisation and the CSO has been invited to Chair and lead this work. Strategic opportunities to collaborate, where appropriate, are being identified and encouraged.
• Survey Respondents-Burden Reduction: The Response Burden Barometer (RBB) is a measure of the total administrative burden placed on Irish enterprises and agricultural holdings by Central Statistics Office surveys when calculated on an actual compliance basis. The RBB for 2016 reduced by 38.6% when measured against the peak year of 2008. The CSO has also developed an Administrative Data Centre which also contributes to minimising respondent burden.
• Researchers: The CSO provides researcher access to microdata files in accordance with Section 20 (c) of the Statistics Act, 1993. Researcher access to microdata, which is for scientific and statistical purposes only, is granted under strict conditions to ensure that the integrity and confidentiality of data collected under the Act is maintained. The primary objective of the CSO in providing access to microdata is to support the research community and to ensure that maximum usage is made of the data collected by the CSO. This approach supports the move towards evidence-based policy-making, has the potential to reduce the cost of research and also helps to avoid duplicate data collections. In order for RMF access to be granted, approval must be granted by a Statistician, a Senior Statistician, a Director/Assistant Director General and by the Director General of the CSO.
• Policy Makers/Government Departments- ISSCoP: The CSO launched the Irish Statistical System Code of Practice (ISS CoP) in November 2013. The aim of the code is to provide a set of simple guidelines that are designed to synchronise standards across all compilers of official statistics in Ireland and not just those published by the CSO. To support implementation of the code, a redesigned website was launched in February 2022 ISS CoP. The majority of producers of Official Statistics have formally signed up to the ISS CoP and its implementation assists public bodies in applying statistical quality and impartiality.
• Policy Makers/Government Departments: The CSO has developed the Professional Diploma in Official Statistics for Policy Evaluation in conjunction with the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) with the aim of improving the understanding and use of statistical data for policy evaluation and improved basis of decision making. It is targeted at decision-makers throughout the public service.
• Policy Makers/Government Departments/ General Public: The CSO regularly host Administrative Data seminars and Business Seminars to allow people to learn about the opportunities and challenges with respect to the modernisation of the Irish Statistical System, to meet CSO statisticians and learn about the work being carried out by the CSO.
• Quality Customer Service: The CSO are committed to providing high quality statistical services to all customers. We provide free, independent, statistical information to support and promote understanding and debate across government, business and society. The CSO are continuously improving and expanding statistical outputs to provide timely and relevant data for the people of Ireland. A customer complaints procedure is in place. The Office continues to meet its obligations in accordance with the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021. All major corporate documents are available in Irish. If you contact the CSO in Irish, the CSO will arrange that you will be answered in Irish.
• Engagement with media outlets: The media plays an important role in the communication of Official Statistics to the general public. The CSO hosts a number of press conferences each year. We have developed the facility to attend our press conferences both online and in person in response to changing work practices. Most media outlets have moved to a digital-first model and in response, the CSO have developed a number of new formats such as audio and visual clips, key findings and a statistician's comment section to facilitate ease of dissemination through online platforms.