Events
PRESENTATION FROM PADRAIC DALTON, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE CENTRAL STATISTICS OFFICE
Date: 11/09/2013
On Wednesday 11th September, 30 members attended an ACESA Breakfast Briefing where Padraig Dalton. Director General of the Central Statistics Office gave a presentation on the major plans and initiatives envisaged for the CSO.
“We must strive to deliver our role of collection, compilation and dissemination of independent and objective official statistics in the most cost effective and efficient manner possible. Independence and objectivity are the core values of the CSO that ensure public trust in official statistics, and we must continue to adhere to them”.
The presentation began with a slogan – “joined up Government needs joined up data” – that was expanded upon to explain that, though the country has many administrative data holdings, this data is not being fully exploited -possibly because we do not have the infrastructure in place to support the linking of these sources. Some links exist but they are not used in all cases. Moreover, without the necessary infrastructure, all we have are silos of data/information.
Hence the idea of a National Data Infrastructure (NDI), which will support broader objectives (e.g. administrative efficiency and improved public services). It will undoubtedly lead to benefits for official statistics and, taking a broader view, it will ensure provision of evidence to support policy development and evaluation. Indeed the Programme for Government refers to the need for better sharing of data across Government Departments and Agencies to eliminate social welfare fraud and other problems.
The CSO must adhere to international quality standards and to ensure the independence and objectivity of all official statistics the “Irish Statistical System – Code of Practice” is being launched in November 2013. The Code will be supported by a practical set of guidelines.
Padraig Dalton then went on to share with the group the story behind some of the key figures produced annually by the CSO.
Key Discussion Points
Members commented on the amount of useful information gained from attending at the session. The potential for a national data infrastructure and the potential for the agency sector to tap into the CSO as a resource were both highlighted, as was the importance of having an independent agency to perform this vital role. Also emphasised was the importance of Public Sector bodies working together to share information for the common good. It was evident to the audience that the CSO has a wealth of information and is very willing to help.
Evaluation
The post-meeting evaluation showed a very good impact, with 77 per cent of attendees finding the session excellent and 23 per cent very good.