1. Irish Statistics Strategy - some perspectives based on Danish experience Presentation at launch event, Dublin 10 September 2015 Jørgen Elmeskov Director-General

2. Overview  Some words of humility  Broad comparison of two strategies  The role of administrative registers  The background: why the Irish-Danish differences?  Requirements for and opportunities in administrative registers  Risks  Summing up 2

3. Many commonalities in the coverage of statistical strategies IssueIrelandDenmark Coordination across statistical systemXX Responding to users, communicationXX Privacy and data protectionXX Research data infrastructureXX Harnessing Big DataXX Balancing EU and domestic needsXX Skills needsX(X) National data infrastructureX Internal efficiency, streamlining ITX Commercial activitiesX Stronger analytical contentX Quality, consistency of statisticsX 3

4. Differences on individual issues reflect national starting points  The National Data Infrastructure is central to Irish strategy, reflecting the limited development of administrative registers  The (perceived) need for SD to strengthen analysis and, in some areas, quality will demand resources.  Given a stringent budget environment this explains focus on efficiency and commercial activities in Danish Strategy 4

5. Why do we differ in the use of administrative data?  Resemble each other in many respects,…  Small, open economies  Small, homogenous communities  …but differ in other respects,…  Anglo-saxon (?) vs Nordic attitude to rulers  Independent national state for 100 vs. 1100 years  Role of multinationals  …which may have influenced approaches to identification and statistics  Concern about national ID programmes vs…  …trusting the government with sensitive data  Sensitivity to business desires for privacy 5

6. Health Employ- ment Educa- tion Social etc CPR BDRBDR CBRCBR Question- naire Inter- view Cadastre VAT 6 The statistical information system in Denmark Tax Person id: Person Number Enterprise id: CBR-No Dwelling id: Address

7. Requirements and opportunities associated with administrative registers and their use in statistics  Main requirement: political courage to enforce unique identifiers for individuals, enterprises and fixed property  Not a huge technological challenge – in Denmark the system was rolled out in the 1960s and 70s  The benefits of administrative registers are vast and mostly lie beyond statistics  Statistical needs were never a driving force behind administrative registers in Denmark  Still, they allow for good quality statistics on the cheap  Opportunities in integrated, longitudinal timeseries include: -Research (SD Research Service is 27 years old; globally known) -Policy analysis (ministries use microdata to design and quantify effects of new legislative initiatives, before and after introduction) 7

8. Risks associated with administrative registers and their use in statistics  Risks include:  Pressure for administrative use of statistical data -A hard line not to provide microdata may have to be accompanied by a pedagogical effort  Risks associated with security glitches -Not just breach of confidentiality in itself (bad as it is), but could jeopardise the whole ”business model” -Both outside and inside threats need to be guarded against  With due attention, and at a cost, these risks can be managed 8

9. Summing up  Much overlap in respective strategies  Differences reflect starting points  Denmark has been tremendously helped by administrative registers/National Data Infrastructure  There are risks, but they can be overcome 9