asked the Taoiseach in relation to section 5 of form A of the Census of Ireland 1979, if he will define the term "other status" in item 5 of the section relating to marital status.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Census Form.
4.
In the 1979 census householders were requested to answer the question on marital status in terms of their present legal status. The term "Other Status", to which the Deputy refers, was included to provide an appropriate category for persons who had obtained a divorce in another country and whose legal marital status would not therefore be covered by the categories of single, married or widowed.
Is the term "other status" therefore confined to divorced persons? Where does the section relative to persons who are separated and persons who are cohabiting exist on that form?
It refers to couples or people who have obtained a divorce in another country only. It is the legal status we are dealing with.
The other sections relate to persons who are married, widowed or single. Is the Minister of State suggesting that only those persons who are divorced come under the category of "other status" as he indicated?
Yes.
Where do persons who are separated or persons who are cohabiting give an indication on the census form as to their status? Why is the Minister not honest enough to put those separate categories in so that people can fill them in?
We are being very honest. We are dealing with the legal status of persons. We must be guided by the CSO in this matter. They drafted the form and they are the experts on getting the information needed in the census. The emphasis is on the legal status.
On that section of the form there is now apparently no provision for persons who are separated or persons who are cohabiting. There is no section on an Irish census form where they can indicate their status. Apparently people have been filling in census forms on entirely erroneous questions.
It is the legal status we are talking about. The Deputy is splitting hairs in relation to the other matters.
I should like to approach this matter from a different angle from that of Deputy Desmond because I take it that the question is about legal status. Why is the word "divorced" not used, because once you say "other status" is there not a danger that people in one or other of the categories Deputy Desmond speaks of would put themselves under "other status" not realising that it is confined to people who are divorced? Why, therefore, is an ambiguous term used rather than the actual, correct legal wording?
I am sure the Deputy will recognise that a census being taken must give the legal status; must be legal——
Exactly, that is my point: why use the non-legal term?
What about people who have not got a legal status in this country—that is where the national hypocrisy——
As I said earlier, one may perhaps hurt people or invade their privacy by asking for further details. We are dealing with a legal status; if they come under the legal status it is all there for them.
I do not think the Minister listened to me because my point was different from and indeed opposite to that of Deputy Desmond: as the question relates to legal status why not use the word "divorced" rather than "other status" which is a confused, non-legal term and might lead non-divorced people to include themselves in this category thereby vitiating the statistics?
The Central Statistics Office people think it would be misleading.
May I ask for the benefit of my constituents: if a person has been married for 50 years but is not living with their spouse, what would such a person put down on that census form?
Married. They would still be married.
But they are not living together. They have no legal contract with each other?
It is the legal status we are dealing with here——
(Interruptions.)
But then one is not dealing with the de facto situation.