Peadar Tóibín
Question:3. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the national statistics board under his Department. [33727/23]
View answerWednesday, 20 September 2023
Questions (3)
Oral answers (10 contributions)
The National Statistics Board, NSB, is the body assigned to guide the strategic direction of the Central Statistics Office. The formation of the NSB, its functions and its membership are set out in the Statistics Act 1993. The director general of the CSO has sole and independent responsibility for the operation of the CSO and the delivery of the statistical work programme. The main function of the board is to guide, with the agreement of the Taoiseach, the strategic direction of the CSO by establishing priorities for the compilation and development of official statistics in Ireland.
These priorities are set out in the National Statistics Board five-year strategy Quality Information for All - Numbers Matter 2021. The strategy sets out a vision for a world-class system of official statistics using the best available data to provide high quality, timely, independent and readily accessible information that informs an understanding of Ireland’s society, our economy and the environment. The strategy emphasises the importance of the Central Statistics Office, CSO, and the Irish statistical system in remaining a trusted, independent source of data; staying relevant by monitoring the transformations taking place in the environment, society and the economy; linking data sources in an innovative way, in line with the requirements and protections of the Statistics Act and GDPR; and providing the best possible insights and communicating these insights in a clear way to users of official statistics and to the public generally.
The board meets at least five times a year to monitor the progress being made by the CSO and across the Irish statistical system in implementing this strategy. To date, the National Statistics Board has met four times this year: 26 January, 29 March, 11 May and 14 September. The board is scheduled to meet again on 7 December. The agenda and minutes of each meeting are published on the National Statistics Board, NSB, website. At each meeting the board is updated by the director general of the CSO on relevant developments within the office and across the Irish statistical system. The board regularly reviews the progress being made under each theme and priority of the NSB strategy and receives presentations on developments and innovations being made in the CSO and across the Irish statistical system.
Some examples of the board's activities during the year include organising discussions on statistics, data and information on disability and on labour market statistics and current and future data needs; visiting the CSO office in Cork where the board received a presentation on the safety of the person survey and met the social data collection team; receiving a presentation on new outputs from the environment and climate divisions and on the uses of environmental-related administrative data; and visiting the census in CSO Swords where the board was given an overview of census 2022.
I thank the Minister of State.
On statistics, one very serious issue came up over the summer which concerns children in State care. This issue has come to the fore. Statistics that have been released to me by Tusla show that on average last month there were 67 children residing in special emergency accommodation. This figure excludes unaccompanied minors or separated children. One year ago the average was about 40. There has also been an increase in the number of separated children or unaccompanied minors who are seeking international protection living in special emergency accommodation. In July of this year that figure stood at 93 such children in special emergency arrangements, SEAs, while in October of last year it was only 17. We are, therefore, seeing a massive increase in the number of children being put into special emergency accommodation. It is important to note that in its letter to me Tusla said that these are mostly unregulated placements, they are in rented accommodation in apartments and houses and they are staffed with third party staff who may not be vetted and who are not regulated at all. This is an absolutely stunning situation, which is very difficult, where children most in trouble and most vulnerable have been placed in State care - often in residential State care because this is the last resort location we have to help them - and the Government is not using the regulated organisations such as the businesses that are supplying facilities there. They are now using, at a massive cost to themselves, special emergency accommodation where there is no regulation and no vetting. I am stunned to think that the State would place children who are so vulnerable into such a place. It is an absolute scandal.
Will the Deputy allow the Minister of State a chance to reply?
I will. The Minister of State's preamble was at least five minutes long.
I will look forward to that so.
How many children are located in special emergency accommodation that is unregulated and staffed by unvetted staff?
I thank the Deputy. I do not have those figures but I will certainly ask the relevant Minister, the Minister for Health or the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, to come back to the Deputy on that specific issue.
I understand that this question is new and I am sure it is not part of the Minister of State's background brief. It is part of the background brief of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. In my view it has been linked with the situation where Judge Dermot Simms, who has since retired, wrote a letter to the Minister with four reports that give information on specific cases. I put a parliamentary question in to the Minister on what happened to those reports. The Minister told me that he deleted three of those reports. He deleted three of those reports, which is an incredible situation. These reports outline in an anonymous fashion really difficult situations that children are in and which the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has deleted. I ask the Minister of State if there is any chance the Minister would go back to Mr. Simms to get those documents and find out how we can help those children who are in trouble.
That concludes Taoiseach's Questions.