asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state the number of blind persons in each county and county borough in the Saorstát according to the latest available information.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - BLIND PERSONS.
TOMAS MAC EOIN
The latest complete statistics available regarding the blind population in this country are those contained in the 1911 Census, which gives the total number of blind in Saorstát Eireann as 3,250, made up as follows:—
|
County or County Borough. |
No. of blind. Census 1911. |
|
Carlow |
35 |
|
Cavan |
73 |
|
Clare |
123 |
|
Cork County |
593 |
|
Cork County Borough |
|
|
Donegal |
117 |
|
Dublin County |
265 |
|
Dublin County Borough |
331 |
|
Galway |
151 |
|
Kerry |
177 |
|
Kildare |
41 |
|
Kilkenny |
70 |
|
Leitrim |
53 |
|
Leix |
49 |
|
Limerick County |
183 |
|
Limerick County Borough |
|
|
Longford |
35 |
|
Louth |
37 |
|
Mayo |
136 |
|
Meath |
44 |
|
Monaghan |
56 |
|
Offaly |
71 |
|
Roscommon |
76 |
|
Sligo |
62 |
|
Tipperary N.R. and S.R. |
180 |
|
Waterford County |
96 |
|
Waterford County Borough |
|
|
Westmeath |
45 |
|
Wexford |
111 |
|
Wicklow |
40 |
|
3,250 |
|
From the information in the possession of the Minister, is it possible to make an estimate as to whether there has been any considerable increase since 1911 in those numbers?
No. We have no other complete statistics since that period. We have statistics for blind persons between the ages of five and thirty, but those figures are not readily comparable. I could give the Deputy information as regards those persons if it would be of any assistance to him.
Perhaps the Minister would include it in the Official Report?
The additional information is as follows:—
In Dublin County Borough and Dublin County where schemes for promoting the welfare of the blind have been in operation for about two years the numbers of blind registered up to the 31st of March last were as follow:—
|
Dublin County Borough |
646 |
|
Dublin County |
56 |
Recently inquiries were instituted for the purpose of ascertaining the number of blind persons between the ages of five years and thirty years in each county in An Saorstát (except Dublin County). The returns thus obtained are given in the following table:—
|
County. |
No. of Blind Persons between 5 years and 30 years of age. |
|
Carlow |
2 |
|
Cavan |
6 |
|
Clare |
5 |
|
Cork |
16 |
|
Galway |
10 |
|
Kerry |
3 |
|
Kildare |
2 |
|
Kilkenny |
2 |
|
Laoighis |
3 |
|
Leitrim |
4 |
|
Limerick |
8 |
|
Longford |
2 |
|
Louth |
— |
|
Mayo |
6 |
|
Meath |
1 |
|
Monaghan |
— |
|
Offaly |
3 |
|
Roscommon |
2 |
|
Sligo |
— |
|
Tipperary N.R. |
2 |
|
Tipperary S.R. |
1 |
|
Tirconaill |
6 |
|
Waterford |
3 |
|
Westmeath |
5 |
|
Wexford |
1 |
|
Wicklow |
— |
|
— |
|
|
Total |
93 |
The numbers of young blind persons in Cork, Limerick, and Waterford County Boroughs have not been obtained, but a register of the blind, is being compiled in the case of Cork under the scheme for the Welfare of the Blind which has recently been adopted in that city.