Martin Conway (Fine Gael)

I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, on his appointment as Government Chief Whip. The word "gentleman" is often used and abused on the corridors of this House but Deputy Kehoe is a gentleman to his fingertips. I am delighted at his appointment.

His presentation today was very enlightening. We all know the importance of gathering accurate information. The Central Statistics Office has done a very good job over the years. The 1901 and 1911 censuses were posted on the Internet and had a an amazing number of hits. This information is of great interest. The latest census, carried out earlier this year, was the most comprehensive ever undertaken in this country. It may have been cumbersome and it took time to complete but the usefulness of the exercise, the information that will be gathered as a result and the knowledge base that will be developed will be most beneficial to this country.

I agree, too, with much of what Senator Mooney said. In this House we have discussed the importance of having up-to-date statistics. Senator Mooney mentioned tourism figures that do not emerge as quickly and efficiently as they should. I agree that monthly tourism figures should be released. Let us suppose one has a certain marketing budget and one is trying to decide how to spend it. If monthly figures were released quickly, at least one could redirect or divert resources where, for example, a particular area was not the subject of sufficient focus or another area deserved more attention because it was successful.

In all aspects of business, matters of social equality and life in general, statistics are very important. We often hear estimates given in presentations of, for example, so many hundreds of thousands of empty houses in the country or 10% of the population having a declared disability. It is not good enough to estimate. We need facts. The Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, outlined the clear determination of Government to try to create a statistical framework in this country that will deal specifically with facts. When one has facts, one can look one's European partners in the eye. One can also operate internationally because one knows that one has access to the best knowledge available and that this is backed up by properly compiled and collated records. People may not immediately see the value of spending money on collating statistics and carrying out research. However, it is money that is extremely well spent.

Will the Minister of State comment on the links we have with the Northern Ireland Assembly and with those who are responsible for compiling statistics in that jurisdiction? It would be much more beneficial if we could operate on an all-island basis when it comes to statistics. I imagine that good work is being done in this regard.

In the past, the National Statistics Board has published a number of surveys which contain some very interesting recommendations. Based on what the Minister of State said earlier, many of those recommendations are going to be taken on board. We can move forward by having access to the facts and by dealing in those facts.

In the context of the social agenda, we are facing into a budget in respect of which difficult decisions are going to have to be made. If one has accurate statistics, it is easier for one to make such decisions because one knows in advance exactly how people are going to be affected. Let us consider the position with regard to education. The information relating to people with disabilities, minority groups, etc., within the education sector could be better. It will certainly be better when what is proposed is put in place. As the Minister of State quite rightly indicated, all Government Departments have a responsibility to up their game in the context of ensuring that the data they collect is of good quality. He pointed out that some Departments are probably better than others in this regard. However, we need to establish best practice throughout the public service in respect of the collation and assessment of data.

Our record in respect of this matter compares quite well with other jurisdictions. Despite the fact that it was probably not provided with the resources it required in the past, the Central Statistics Office is performing extremely well. I am of the view that the framework it uses should be adopted across the board in the future. I look forward to 2012, when the full and final results of the recent census of population will be published. It will be interesting to see the answers that were provided in respect of questions that were asked on this occasion but not on previous ones in respect of education, culture, etc. We have a responsibility to the next generation to ensure that facts relating to our era are properly collated and assessed. There may be a great many aspects of society about which we are not happy but if we are able to place a true and accurate account into the history books, we will have achieved a great deal.

I am sure other Senators wish to contribute so I will bring my remarks to a conclusion. I thank the Minister of State for his very fine and enlightening presentation. As Senator Mooney correctly stated, this is an area of government which too often goes unnoticed. Perhaps there is a need for us, as public representatives, to highlight the valuable work that is being done. I regularly visit the Central Statistics Office's website in order to browse its most recent publications. That website is extremely informative and up to date and one can obtain from it statistics relating to many matters. I have a particular interest in tourism and it is intriguing to monitor the various trends relating to the number of visitors who are coming here from abroad, the number of Irish people travelling abroad, etc. Having access to such information helps one formulate one's thinking.

There is a need for us, as public representatives, to highlight the positive work being done by the Central Statistics Office and also that being done by business groups and individuals, on a private basis, in respect of collecting and collating information. The Vintners Federation of Ireland has worked closely with a number of researchers to collect accurate data in respect of the type of products on sale and so forth. Perhaps there might be an opportunity to work jointly with some of the private research companies in order to ensure that overlaps do not occur and that all the facts collected are drawn together in a comprehensive manner.

I wish the Minister of State well with his brief. I have no doubt that in four years' time we will have a much more advanced programme of statistical collection.