Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 June 2016
78. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Taoiseach if an amendment is being considered to the next census due in 2021 in respect of adopted persons (details supplied); if consideration has been given to this omission in the past and if so, the reason the change was not made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14339/16]
View answerThe CSO strives to ensure that the information collected and provided from the census remains current, relevant, of maximum use to the public and that it reflects the needs of users to the greatest extent possible. It has been common practice in advance of the census to conduct a public consultation on possible new questions and changes to existing questions, which are then considered by a specially convened Census Advisory Group in advance of testing in the field in the form of a pilot survey.
CSO did not receive submissions suggesting capture of information on adopted people during the public consultation phases prior to either Census 2006 or 2011. Due to budgetary constraints across the public sector and the consequent requirement to run a no change census, no equivalent public consultation process or pilot testing was carried out in advance of Census 2016 to facilitate changes to the questions.
However, the office anticipates that in advance of Census 2021 a full public consultation on the questions to be asked will be conducted. This consultation will be publicly advertised and will provide an opportunity for all users of the data to suggest amendment, removal or addition of questions to the next census.
