Advances in Business Statistics, Methods and Data Collection

14The Evolution of Integrating Administrative Data in Business Statistics in Ireland

Colin Hanley and Sorcha O'Callaghan

Central Statistics Office, Cork City, Ireland

14.1 Introduction

There has been a growing demand from users and policymakers for more granular and relevant information on businesses in Ireland. The increase in demand poses a challenge for compilers of business statistics in the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Traditional data collection methods are resource‐intensive and increasing the scope of survey data collection would increase pressure on those resources while also increasing the burden on survey respondents. An alternative way to meet this demand is to utilize administrative data.

Administrative data are collected by other government bodies for the purposes of providing public services. National Statistical Institutes (NSIs) have increasingly utilized these available data sources for statistical purposes. Nearly all members of the European Statistical System (ESS) have moved toward increased use of administrative data. ESS members have used administrative sources in business statistics (Costanzo 2011) and as part of the “new data sources” area, administrative data was included among the five key areas of the ESS Vision 2020. Like other NSIs, the CSO expanded the use of administrative data to develop more outputs.

Under the legal mandate provided by the Statistics Act 1993a, the CSO can get access to administrative data to assess its potential for statistical ...