Vol. 464 No. 4
3 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Taoiseach the current position regarding third-level students who are not at home on the night the census is taken in view of the fact that their permanent addresses in many cases is in rural Ireland. [8172/96]
The 1996 census is being taken on Sunday, 28 April 1996. The census covers all persons present in the State on that night. Persons are enumerated in the households or institutions in which they spend the night of 28 April 1996. In common with other population groups, third level students are enumerated in the census wherever they pass census night.
There is a legal obligation on heads of households and institutions to provide the information requested on the census form in respect of every person present in the relevant household or institution on census night.
The census is taken on a de facto basis, that is, the population recorded for each area represents the total of all persons present within its boundaries on census night together with all persons who arrived in that area on the following morning not having been enumerated elsewhere. In order to avoid gaps and duplication in achieving a full and accurate count of the population, it is essential that a consistent approach is adopted to the enumeration in all circumstances.
Sunday night has traditionally been chosen as the reference point for the census as it is the night most persons can be expected to be at their usual residence.
Watching "Glenroe".
In this regard the usual residence of third level students is explicitly defined in the census as "the term-time address". The same conventional statistical treatment of third level students is adopted in many countries.
Where do they lay their heads on the pillow?
Is the Minister concerned about the possible serious consequences of holding the census on a Sunday night, particularly for his constituency which may lose a Dáil seat on the basis of census data as many third level as well as many second level students will not be at home on that night? Is he concerned about the distortion of census data that may be caused, therefore, by taking the census on Sunday night? In view of the recent debate on the islands and that resources are often granted on the basis of census of population data, is the Minister concerned also that 10 to 15 per cent of island populations in terms of students attending second and third level colleges will not be at home on census night? Will steps be taken, therefore, to redress the imbalance that will result from taking the census on the night arranged, and bearing in mind that increasing numbers of students are studying away from home during term time?
The traditional month for the taking of the census——
This is not the tradition.
May I answer the question and the Deputy can then ask a supplementary if he wishes? The traditional month for the taking of the census is April. The date of 28 April was decided on the basis that it was after Easter and before the summer holidays. This date was chosen to achieve stability, conformity and uniformity with past trends. I acknowledge the Deputy's concerns and I would have had a preconceived idea that the holding of the census on a Sunday night would involve a major net loss, particularly to rural constituencies. However, that is not borne out by the 1991 census figures. I accept Deputy Ó Cuív's point that many important calculations are based on census of population figures, including national government and EU grants and population figures determine representation in the Dáil and elsewhere. This concern has also been voiced by the Council for the West, particularly regarding students attending third level colleges on census night.
What about the Minister of State, Deputy Carey?
The 1991 census figures for students aged 18 to 24 born or enumerated in Connacht may be of interest. A total of 11,040 were born in Connacht and 12,698 were enumerated in Connacht. In other words, more students were enumerated in Connacht than were born there. A total of 7,841 students were born and enumerated in Connacht, 4,857 were enumerated in Connacht but born elsewhere and 3,199 were born in Connacht and enumerated elsewhere. The Deputy mentioned my county of Mayo. A total of 1,979 students aged up to 24 years were enumerated in Mayo in 1991, of which 1,343 were born in the county, 635 were born elsewhere or not stated and 1,406 were born in the county or enumerated elsewhere. Therefore the net loss to Mayo is 771. I would have thought that the figure would have been larger.
The Minister of State has given figures for County Mayo and for Connacht, but he is well aware that there will be a net plus figure in some areas of Connacht with third level institutions, like Galway city. Counties like Leitrim and rural parts of Counties Mayo and Galway will lose out on that night while urban areas with third level centres will gain. In quoting figures for Connacht the Minister is failing to recognise that statistics for small areas have a major bearing and that dividing counties for the purpose of collecting statistics will distort the picture. The Minister has not addressed the consequences for the islands. We are all aware that students from the islands attend second and third level colleges on the mainland. It is a nonsense to talk about tradition as the tradition of people attending second and third level colleges did not exist 20, 30 or 40 years ago — time has brought changes. Why, in view of changing patterns of lifestyle and of the need, as we are frequently told by the Government, to change with the times, did the Government not decide to take the census on Saturday rather than Sunday night? This would give better data as to where people reside. I ask the Minister not to quote tradition to me.
I am not quoting tradition but giving the facts and the figures for 1991.
Why is the census not being taken on Saturday night?
If I had been asked about this matter prior to examining this file, I would have drawn many of the conclusions drawn by the Deputy.
But why not Saturday night?
Student census data for County Mayo reveal a net loss of 771. A total of 1,504 students were enumerated in County Sligo of which 647 were born in the county, 857 were born elsewhere or not stated and 589 were born in the county and enumerated elsewhere.
The Minister of State should give us the figures for County Leitrim.
Those figures reveal a plus balance of 268. The Deputy's county is to a large extent a gross beneficiary in terms of student data. There are inflows and outflows, deficits and surpluses depending on where people are on census night.
Give us the figures for County Leitrim.
Questions have been asked, the Deputy should listen to the reply.
The Minister of State avoided County Leitrim.
There factors must be considered in terms of students, the number of students born and enumerated in the county, the number born in the county and enumerated outside the county and the number born outside the county and enumerated in the county. The number born outside the county and enumerated in the county must be subtracted from the number born in the county and enumerated outside the county. For example, third level students in Mayo who were born outside the county must be considered in arriving at the net figure.
We are lucky that the Minister of State could count them at all.
They could have come to live in the county.
