Emer Currie
Question:219. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the status of the National Equality Data Strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38030/26]
View answerWednesday, 20 May 2026
Questions (219)
Written answers
The National Equality Data Strategy 2026-2031 is available at: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/the-national-equality-data-strategy/
This Strategy has been developed by the Central Statistics Office and the Department in partnership with a working group drawn from across Government and civil society.
Equality data is “any piece of information that is useful for the purposes of describing and analysing the state of equality”. This data is important for:
• the design and delivery of inclusive policies and services,
• enabling policymakers and the public to assess the scale and nature of discrimination suffered by vulnerable and marginalised groups, and
• analysing where needs are most acute and what impact interventions are having.
The Strategy requires all Government Departments to make a commitment to collect, use or disseminate equality data and to develop the organisational capacity to fulfil this commitment. It provides a general approach for identifying and filling current gaps in equality data, as well as developing standard practices in classification.
The Strategy will improve Ireland’s collection, disaggregation and use of equality data to enable policymakers to develop sound and inclusive evidence-informed policies that improve service delivery and outcomes across Ireland.
Work is now underway on implementation, including the formation of a steering group to oversee, monitor and report on progress.