Vol. 397 No. 9
9 Mr. Allen asked the Taoiseach the reason the Central Statistics Office have no office in Cork in order to facilitate the public who may have inquiries in relation to the Labour Force Survey; the reason members of the public in the Cork area must either contact the office in Waterford or Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Central Statistics Office have no permanent office outside of Dublin. For the practical purpose of conducting the fieldwork on the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS), Ireland is subdivided into eight areas. A temporary area supervisor is assigned responsibility for the LFS within each of these areas. A temporary office staffed by one other person is located where the area supervisor resides.
Cork city and Cork county other than west Cork lies in the southern LFS survey area. The area supervisor for the southern survey area resides in Waterford and has a temporary office located there. West Cork lies in the south-west survey area and the area supervisor resides, and has a temporary office located, in Limerick.
There are 49 local interviewers working in the Cork area and reporting to the relevant field and area supervisors. They are also resident in the Cork area. The household information leaflet circulated to each respondent contains the name and address of the local interviewer who is in direct contact with the household during the survey and who is trained to deal with any queries raised.
Would the Minister agree that there is a certain degree of discrimination against the second city in the country by not having the facility requested available in Cork city?
I am more than surprised to hear that Deputy O'Keeffe does not know the facts.
I have just been listening to them.
There are six field supervisors resident in the Cork area and there are 49 interviewers resident in the Cork area.
Where is the office?
The information the Deputy's colleague gave to The Cork Examiner is totally inaccurate and wrong.
Where can Cork city people go with their inquiries? There is no office in Cork city.
I also indicated that everybody who is interviewed is given a form and on that form is inserted the name and telephone number of the interviewer. The interviewer makes it quite clear — and it is also stated on the form — that if the interviewee wishes to contact the interviewer again with any further information he can do so. The interviewer lives in Cork city. I cannot see what more can be done.
The interviewer is presumably doing his or her job out in the field and is not answering the telephone.
This is leading to argument. I am proceeding to deal with questions nominated for priority.
