AGENDA
Thursday December 4th, 2025
Room 301, Government Buildings
10.00 to 13.30
|
Item |
Time |
Description |
| 9.45 – 10.00 |
Tea & Coffee |
|
|
1 |
10.00 – 10.05 |
Minutes of NSB meeting September 11th, 2025 |
|
2 |
10.05 – 10.30 |
Director General’s Report to NSB
|
|
3 |
10.30 – 11.00 |
NSB Statement of Strategy: Review of progress |
|
4 |
11.00 – 11.45 |
Access to PPSNs across the public service Discussants: Dr. Sarah Craig Director of Health Information and Evidence Health Research Board Paul Morrin Assistant Director General Central Statistics Office |
|
|
11.45 – 12.00 |
Break |
|
5 |
12.00 – 13.20 |
All Island Statistical Cooperation and Engagement Session with the Northen Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) and the Central Statistics Office (CSO)
Philip Wales, Chief Executive, NISRA Richard Elliott, NISRA Richard McMahon, Assistant Director General, CSO Brendan Murphy, Senior Statistician, CSO
|
|
6 |
13.20 – 13.25 |
AOB: NSB meeting dates 2026
|
|
7 |
13.25 – 13.30 |
Private Discussion |
National Statistics Board Minutes
The meeting took place in Room 301, Government Buildings, Dublin
Date: Thursday, 4th December 2025, 10am to 1.30pm
Members present: Dr. Clíona Saidléar (Chairperson), Dr. Martina Lawless*, Ms. Eithne Fitzgerald, Mr. John McGarry, Mr. John Shaw, Dr. Emma Cunningham and Ms. Jennifer Banim
Non-members in attendance from CSO: Paul Morrin, Richard McMahon, Brendan Murphy2 and Brian Cahill (Secretary)
Non-members in attendance:
Dr. Sarah Craig1 (HRB), Dr. Gemma Gorman1 (HRB) Philip Wales2 (NISRA), Richard Elliott2 NISRA
Apologies: Mr. Jim Scheer
* Attended remotely
Item 1: Minutes of NSB meeting September 11th, 2025 (NSB 2025-5-2)
The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed.
Items 2 & 3: CSO Director General’s Report to NSB (NSB 2025-4-3) and NSB Statement of Strategy: Review of progress
The Director General’s Report was taken as read. The Board engaged in further discussion on several key areas highlighted in the report:
The Board noted the ongoing development of Value Chain Analysis, which is providing both a domestic and multinational perspective on the Irish economy. Particular interest was expressed in the construction sector, where the analysis has generated valuable insights. The Board welcomed the joint work between the National Accounts and Business Statistics teams, noting the quality and analytical depth of the outputs.
The Board emphasised the importance of coherent and timely statistics in this area housing-related indicators such as land values, zoned land.
The Board noted that the Structure of Earnings Survey has been approved by the CSO Management Board and is scheduled to be undertaken in 2026 and 2027.
The usefulness of mini-modules on the Labour Force Survey (LFS) was acknowledged, with members noting their flexibility and responsiveness to emerging policy needs.
Flash estimates at T+30 were discussed. While these provide strong output estimates, the Board noted that cost data at this stage are weaker, resulting in less robust GVA estimates. A move to T+45 was considered preferable, and it was noted that Germany is currently operating at this timeline. CSO is engaging with other countries to advocate for this approach.
The Board noted that planning is underway for a pilot of the National Disability Survey.
The Irish Health Survey is currently in the field. The Board discussed the relationship between the Irish Health Survey and the Healthy Ireland Survey, which is run annually by the Department of Health. Members queried potential synergies between the instruments. It was noted that a module on neurodiversity and autism is included for adults in the current round and will be expanded to children in future survey waves.
The Board discussed the complexity of measuring neurodiversity, noting that 34 bodies are currently advising in this area. Members agreed on the need for clear, consistent, and well-defined measurement approaches.
The Board noted that CSO has met with the new Garda Commissioner, who expressed strong interest in data relating to domestic and gender-based violence. The Gardaí are eager to collaborate with CSO on analysis and demographic insights and have indicated an intention to pursue ISSCOP certification, potentially acting as a flag bearer for the wider public service.
It was noted that CUAN and the Department of Justice have agreed to progress the EU Gender-Based Violence Survey, incorporating national requirements where possible.
The Board was informed that the use of a unique identifier in the Justice sector is progressing through the Data as a Driver Group. Justice agencies (excluding An Garda Síochána) are progressing towards the use of PPSN collection across their systems and are utilising CSO to link data and provide researcher access.
Migration was noted as a key topic in political debate. The Board emphasised the importance of CSO data being clearly positioned within this discussion, with a strong understanding of how different migration-related statistics relate to one another.
IAADS and EAADS data by nationality were discussed. It was noted that employment growth is broadly similar in scale to the increase in non-nationals, raising important questions about labour supply and economic capacity. Members highlighted the importance of bringing data on non-nationals together in a coherent narrative.
The Board noted that the Census Memorandum to Government has been agreed. CSO expressed thanks to the Department of the Taoiseach for its support throughout the process. A press release from the Minister confirming approval was also noted. The Board emphasised the importance of a clear, transparent, and rigorous process for advising on Census content, undertaken through the Census Advisory Group (CAG).
The Board discussed Forestry Accounts, noting that emissions per head of population are the second highest in the EU.
Results from the CSO User Survey were welcomed, particularly the strong levels of trust in CSO statistics. However, the Board noted that users reported difficulties around accessibility and ease of finding data on CSO websites and databases.
These findings will inform website developments planned for 2026, which will include a formal review. The Board noted that while the website works well for expert users, it is more challenging for serious but occasional users. It was noted that CSO will review user personas and journeys and investigate the use of AI for cataloguing and search functionality. A range of education and data literacy programmes for public servants is also in place, supporting better understanding and communication of statistics at multiple levels.
The Board discussed outreach requirements to encourage large data holders to progress ISSCOP certification. Members agreed that a more proactive approach is required, rather than waiting for organisations to approach CSO.
The VDR pilot project was noted as being specifically designed for public sector bodies undertaking policy-relevant research, with interest from researchers in developing a parallel system.
The Board noted that CSO funding for 2026 is confirmed. Operational challenges remain around recruitment, particularly in attracting and retaining specialised skills. Opportunities were noted to restructure the statistical grade to support career progression.
The ordering of demand pressures was outlined as:
European requirements were reaffirmed as the primary obligation, with missed deadlines carrying consequences. CSO aims to secure derogations early where needed and noted that formal warnings (“red letters”) are rare.
The Board discussed prioritisation in the context of constrained resources, noting that in the event of budget reductions, national “nice-to-have” outputs would be most at risk. It was noted that, for example, the National Disability Survey and Sexual Violence Survey are funded projects; loss of departmental funding would result in cessation of these type of projects.
The Statistics Act was discussed. It was noted that the Act remains strong and has not yet constrained CSO operations. Any changes relating to access to, for example, privately held data would require advice from the Attorney General’s Office.
Item 4: Access to PPSNs across the public service – Case Study: Health Research Board
Dr. Sarah Craig Director of Health Information and Evidence
Health Research Board
Dr. Grainne Gorman Chief Executive Office
Health Research Board
Paul Morrin Assistant Director General
Central Statistics Office
The Board received a presentation from Dr. Sarah Craig from the Health Research Board (HRB) on the national health information systems and the potential use of PPSN to support data linkage and service evaluation. HRB outlined its role in collecting and reporting on mental health, disabilities, drug treatment, and drug-related deaths, producing KPI reports, annual reports, regional breakdowns, and service reports for the HSE and Departments.
The legislative basis for PPSN use under Section 268 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 was outlined. It was noted that the Department of Health could request that HRB be added to the list of specified bodies.
The Board discussed options including HRB acting as an agent of the Department of Health, which would enable comprehensive linkage across the health system and support a “collect once, use often” approach.
It was noted that the NDI Champions Group provides a forum for engagement between DSP and public service bodies on PPSN access and that no applications for PPSN use are known to have been refused. The issue appears to relate to representations not being made by parent Departments.
Members discussed whether CSO could undertake a survey of public service bodies to quantify the scale of PPSN access issues. The Board acknowledged DSP’s role as gatekeeper and the sensitivity of PPSN use, particularly in relation to public trust and data protection.
The Board agreed that the case for the use of PPSNs was not in question, the benefits of PPSN use such as to facilitate data matching, statistical analysis, policy development and service delivery review are well established. The risk is that the PPSN is utilised beyond what is specified in legislation. The Board agreed that further discussion on this topic was required to identify the scale of the issue and identify the underlying reasons for the issue.
Item 5: All Island Statistical Cooperation and Engagement Session with the Northen Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) and the Central Statistics Office (CSO)
The Board receive presentations from the Northen Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and from CSO.
Attendees from Northen Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Attendees from Central Statistics Office
Presentations:
The Board discussed engagement with NISRA, including learnings around modular survey design, online collection, and post-Brexit divergence from EU standards. While adherence to UN and Eurostat standards is no longer legally binding for the UK, divergence has been gradual.
Opportunities for All-Island research and policy development underpinned by access to research microdata were discussed, including education outcomes, enterprise statistics, and trade flows, while noting the operational and resource challenges involved.
The Census Table Builder was highlighted as a positive example of improving access to data and reducing staff burden. A similar system is being tendered for by CSO in 2026.
Shared Island funding and the potential for deeper collaboration between CSO and NISRA were noted, alongside constraints relating to legislation, capacity, and comparability.
The opportunity for learning between the NISRA seconded network and the Irish Statistical Service was noted with the intention for future engagement.
Item 6: AOB
NSB meeting dates 2026
Item 7: Private Business
The Board members had a private discussion.
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