Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

153. To ask the Taoiseach the role of the recently appointed statisticians to his Department working on Covid-19 data; and the raw data that is being used. [38792/20]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department has been working across government to integrate data and insights relevant to management of the Covid-19 pandemic since it began.

The HPSC, HSE, and Department of Health, have been providing a great deal of data through the COVID-19 datahub.

In addition, economic and other data are very relevant to understanding the impacts of restrictions, where supports are needed, and whether those supports are effective.

As Governments across the world continue to learn about the virus and how best to manage the complex interplay between measures and the economic and social impacts, it is vital that we ensure multiple data points contribute to knowledge and the nuancing of our approach.

My Department, working with the HSE and their contractors EY, the CSO, and a number of other Departments, have been drawing together existing data outputs to maximise the insights that can be gained.

This builds on the existing strong work across Government Departments to provide a central and integrated insight centre and platform that better informs the cross-Government Covid-19 response.

The objective is to integrate data and insights across a variety of internal and external sources. The data shared with the team is aggregated and anonymised. The team does not process raw data.