The CSO launched the Irish Statistical System Code of Practice (ISSCoP) in 2013 for compilers of Official Statistics in the Irish Statistical System. The aim of ISSCoP is to improve trust and confidence in Official Statistics produced and disseminated by Public Sector Bodies (PSB’s), reinforcing their independence, integrity, responsibility, and to enhance the quality of Official Statistics.

Official Statistics play an important role in providing evidence to inform policy makers in support of policy formulation and evaluation.

Official Statistics are defined in the Statistics Act 1993 as statistics compiled by the CSO or Other National Authorities (ONA).

Official Statistics are:

• Considered to be of sufficient public interest
• Produced by or on behalf of a public authority
• In the public domain
• Continuous (i.e., there should be a reasonable expectation that the published statistic will be updated with new data to provide comparability over time), but statistics produced as a one-off may be Official Statistics if it is considered to be of public interest.

ISSCoP outlines Five Principles for producing and disseminating Official Statistics:

1. Professional Independence
2. Timeliness & Punctuality
3. Accessibility & Clarity
4. Commitment to Quality
5. Confidentiality

It is estimated that the Certification process will take 7–12 months to complete.

Please email isscop@cso.ie to indicate that you are interested in undertaking ISSCoP Certification and a member of the ISSCoP team will contact you.

The information below outlines the minimum requirements under each principle for ISSCoP certifcation:

Professional Independence

• Release Calendar
• Dissemination & Revisions Policy
• Process Maps
• Process Documentation
• Public Documentation covering methodology (e.g., methodology document/background notes/survey information/quality report/metadata)
• Statistical Coordinator

Timeliness & Punctuality

• Release Calendar

Accessibility & Clarity

• Dissemination & Revisions Policy
• Statistics are presented in a clear manner in a location that is findable and transparent in Open Data format. The PX Stat System is the recommended Open Data format in CSO.
• Statistics are supported by public documentation covering methodology (e.g. Methodology document/background notes/survey information/quality report/metadata

Commitment to Quality

• Quality Commitment or Statement
• Process Maps
• Process Documentation
• Procedures are in place to monitor quality
• Public documentation covering methodology (eg., Methodology document /background notes/survey information /quality report/metadata)
• Statistical Coordinator

Confidentiality

• Confidentiality Statement (covering Statistical Disclosure Control
• Information Security Policy or similar document
• Protocols are in place if external users are granted access to statistical microdata

The ISSCoP Certification process reviews the processes, systems and supporting documentation used by the Public Sector Body in the production of their products. Furhter details outlining the process are available in the ISSCoP Certification Process section of the website.

Please see the following guide to websites/documentation that may be helpful for the ISSCoP Certification Process:

• European Statistical Code of Practice
• CSO Handbook of Standards and Guidance
• Statistics Act
• National Statistics Board, Strategic Priorities for Official Statistics
• Quality Assurance Framework

If a Public Sector Body is producing European Statistics, they will be assessed against the 16 ESCoP principles. The Public Sector Body will be assessed against the 5 principles of ISSCoP if they are producing National Statistics. The ISSCoP Certification team will assess whether the product is National or European and agree it with the Public Sector Body before the commencement of the Certification process.

To date, CSO have awarded ISSCoP Certification to products in Public Sector Bodies (PSB) across the Irish Statistical System. For further details of the PSB's and their related products are available in the Official Statistics section of the website.

As processes and methods can change overtime, it is important to ensure that the quality of Statistical products is maintained. To assist with this, the ISSCoP recertification process reviews those products which have previously received ISSCoP Certification over five years ago. The Public Sector Body will need to update and resubmit relevant documentation for review. As part of the recertification process, the Public Sector Body will also have an opportunity to include any new statistical products for ISSCoP Certification.