The National Statistics Board believes that it is particularly opportune for Ireland to attach priority to further developing the statistical system in order to meet the needs of this broader user community. While policy-makers are key users, there are others in society whose needs must be met to assist the development of an active and inclusive democracy. The Board’s view is that it is essential that the approach adopted to meet these needs should be consistent with the opportunities and constraints presented by the Information Society and with the demands imposed by public accountability. In this Strategy, therefore, the Board has focused on how to:
• Ensure that Ireland can meet the demands for new statistics and indicators in an efficient and effective way;
• Guarantee that all official statistics produced in Ireland are compiled to best international standards and hence comparable with those of other EU and OECD countries;
• Harness all the potential of existing data sources while ensuring that the burden of data collection on individuals and enterprises is not excessive; and
• Build datasets (based on individuals and enterprises) that are compatible, capable of longitudinal analysis, and meet data protection standards.