Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
161. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality how Ireland’s first National Equality Data Strategy will enhance the delivery of public services, particularly in identifying and addressing barriers faced by different groups; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13256/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Equality Data Strategy has been developed by the Central Statistics Office and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality in partnership with a working group drawn from across Government, as well as civil society and research bodies.
Equality data refers to any piece of information that is useful for the purposes of describing and analysing the state of equality. The protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Acts (gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller community) act as a foundation, but equality data is not limited to these characteristics.
Equality data provides policymakers with the information they need to identify and analyse barriers faced by different groups. This helps the development of well-informed and effective policies to address these barriers and to protect against discrimination and exclusion in our society.
The National Equality Data 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 further requires Government Departments to support public bodies under their aegis in the collection or use of equality data.
The Strategy is built around Four Strands:
• Collection of Equality Data
• Standards and Classifications
• Use of Equality Data
• Monitoring and Oversight of the Strategy
The Actions proposed under each Strand are intended to provide the building blocks for the development of a whole-of-Government system to collect and use equality data.
The Strategy is intended to provide a general approach for identifying and filling current gaps in equality data, as well as developing standard practices in classification. It aims to improve Ireland’s collection, disaggregation and use of equality data to enable policymakers to develop sound and inclusive evidence-informed policies to improve service delivery and outcomes across Ireland.
