Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 May 2022
287. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost to require the collection of gender disaggregated health data in all research and Government surveys including age, ethnic minority and disability. [25190/22]
View answerThe CSO conducts a number of household surveys to meet national and EU requirements. All of these surveys collect data on a person's sex and age and this facilitates the dissemination of results disaggregated by these variables. A selection of surveys collect data on a persons self perceived health status, disability, ethnicity and gender identity. The approximate annual costs of collecting data in CSO's household surveys is €3.7m. It is not possible to accurately quantify the exact full year cost of including ethnicity, disability, health status and gender identity questions in all surveys. In addition to the consideration of cost, the response burden and requirements for other questions and topics to meet EU regulatory and national demands needs to be taken into account.
The CSO usually conducts a Census of Population every five years. As part of the preparations for Census 2021 (subsequently deferred to 2022 due to the Covid pandemic) the CSO launched a public consultation on the content of the census questionnaire in late 2017. As part of this consultation, members of the public and interested stakeholders were invited to submit their requests for new questions and revisions to existing questions. To assist the CSO in assessing the submissions, a Census Advisory Group (CAG) was formed. Membership of the CAG was drawn from organisations and groups who regularly use census data. The CAG made recommendations on which new and revised questions should be tested during a Census Pilot survey which was held in September 2018. Following the Pilot, the CAG assisted the CSO in deciding which questions should be recommended to government for inclusion on the census form.
During the consultation process, several submissions were made requesting a new question on gender identity. As gender identity is an emerging area for statistical data collection, the CAG proposed that the CSO should test and develop a new question that would capture robust data on gender identity before it should be considered for inclusion on a census. Subsequent to the consultation, the CSO has introduced a new gender identity question on both a household survey and as part of the new PULSE surveys. The CSO’s view is that the new question has performed well and that it will be recommended for Pilot testing as part of the preparations for the next census. Inclusion of the new gender identity question in the next census will be subject to approval by the CAG and ultimately by government.
Questions on sex, age, disability, self perceived health status, ethnicity which were included on the 2022 Census form will facilitate detailed disaggregation of results for these characteristics.
It is expected that the approximate direct collection cost of census data covering field staff salaries, allowances, travel costs etc. will be just under €30m. It would be difficult to accurately determine the direct cost of including a question on gender identity in the 2027 Census questionnaire.
