Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2019
97. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach if the proposal to reappoint the director general of the Central Statistics Office, CSO, for a second term is in line with the code of practice for the governance of State bodies. [17205/19]
View answerThe Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies provides a framework for the application of best practice in corporate governance by both commercial and non-commercial State bodies. It does not apply to the CSO as the CSO is an independent statutory body which does not meet the criteria as a state agency as set out in page 9 of the Code of Practice. However, the CSO and the Government of Ireland (Commitment on Confidence in Statistics 2017) has made an undertaking to ensure compliance with the European Statistical System Code of Practice, (ESSCOP). The ESS COP is the backbone of a robust, world-class and self-regulatory quality framework which underpins the core values of Official Statistics. It sets out key principles for the production and dissemination of European official statistics and the institutional environment under which national and Community statistical authorities operate.
The Director General of the Central Statistics Office is appointed in accordance with the Statistics Act and the EU Regulation on European Statistics. The Government agreed to extend the Director General’s term of appointment on 26 February 2019 in accordance with section 12 (4) of the Statistics Act 1993, which provides that the Director General shall hold office on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Taoiseach after consultation with the Minister for Finance.
