Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2026
273. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any external academic researchers have been granted access to anonymised or administrative data relating to jobseeker payments or activation measures in the past three years; if not, the policy basis for restricting such access; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27376/26]
View answer275. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the procedures by which external researchers may apply for access to administrative data held by his Department in relation to unemployment and jobseeker payments, including the number of applications or approaches for access received and approved in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27378/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 273 and 275 together.
As part of the Irish Statistical System Code of Practice (ISSCOP) certification process, my Department published its policy for access to administrative data for research purposes in 2023. The policy is published on the Department's statistics landing page on gov.ie, at gov.ie/dsp/statistics. The policy was informed by the microdata access policies set out by the Central Statistics Office. My Department has not received any requests under this policy. Recertification of the Department's ISSCOP credentials is due to take place in 2028.
