Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 April 2016
2. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Taoiseach if he will give the 790 families residing in hotel emergency accommodation the opportunity to take part in Census 2016; if he will regard these families as visitors to the State and have them recorded as such; how he will manage the logistics of this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5726/16]
View answerThe coverage of the Census extends to everyone who is in the State on the night of 24th April and this includes all those currently experiencing homelessness. For the most part homeless persons will be identified by where they are on census night and this will be done by first identifying the establishments where homeless persons are accommodated, and then classifying all those within such accommodation as homeless. There is no facility on the census form for individuals to self-identify as homeless, so the above approach has been taken to ensure not only consistency across the sector in terms of definition but also to protect the individuals involved.
In addition, there are at present some 500 families being accommodated in what is termed Private Emergency Accommodation in Ireland, namely commercial hotels and B&Bs, which contain a mix of both regular guests and persons who are homeless. The CSO, in conjunction with both the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government and the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive, have put in place specific measures to enumerate this group by appointing three special enumerators who will deliver by hand and collect census forms to each family involved. The enumerator will contact the families in advance, will explain the census and the importance of participating, and then make arrangements to deliver the census form. They will then call back to collect the form at a later time. Where necessary the assistance of other local homeless service providers outside of Dublin will be sought.
The CSO is highly conscious of the sensitivity around this issue and the importance of protecting the confidentiality of the information of all those involved and will do our utmost to ensure that not only are all homeless persons counted in the 2016 census but also that their particular circumstances are recorded.
The CSO will publish a dedicated report on homelessness in Ireland using the data collected and this information will be critical to all those providing services in this area.
