Vol. 437 No. 2
3 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Taoiseach the population of each of the counties of Connacht and the total population of the province; the population of each of the counties of Leinster and the total population of the province, as shown in the census of 1926 and in the recent census of 1991; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The information requested by the Deputy is contained in a statement which I propose to circulate in the Official Report. Following is the statement:
Population of each County in Leinster and Connacht in 1926 and 1991.
|
Population |
Change in population 1926-1991 |
|||
|
County |
1926 |
1991 |
Actual |
Percentage |
|
Leinster |
1,149,092 |
1,860,949 |
711,857 |
61.9 |
|
Carlow |
34,476 |
40,942 |
6,466 |
18.8 |
|
Dublin |
505,654 |
1,025,304 |
519,650 |
102.8 |
|
Kildare |
58,028 |
122,656 |
64,628 |
111.4 |
|
Kilkenny |
70,990 |
73,635 |
2,645 |
3.7 |
|
Laoighis |
51,540 |
52,314 |
774 |
1.5 |
|
Longford |
39,847 |
30,296 |
-9,551 |
-24.0 |
|
Louth |
62,739 |
90,724 |
27,985 |
44.6 |
|
Meath |
62,969 |
105,370 |
42,401 |
67.3 |
|
Offaly |
52,592 |
58,494 |
5,902 |
11.2 |
|
Westmeath |
56,818 |
61,880 |
5,062 |
8.9 |
|
Wexford |
95,848 |
102,069 |
6,221 |
6.5 |
|
Wicklow |
57,591 |
97,265 |
39,674 |
68.9 |
|
Connacht |
552,907 |
423,031 |
-129,876 |
-23.5 |
|
Galway |
169,366 |
180,364 |
10,998 |
6.5 |
|
Leitrim |
55,907 |
25,301 |
-30,606 |
-54.7 |
|
Mayo |
172,690 |
110,713 |
-61,977 |
-35.9 |
|
Roscommon |
83,556 |
51,897 |
-31,659 |
-37.9 |
|
Sligo |
71,388 |
54,756 |
-16,632 |
-23.3 |
Can the Minister of State give us the figures for both provinces for 1926 and 1991?
The population of Leinster was 1,149,092 in 1926 and 1,860,949 in 1991, an increase of 711,857 or 61.9 per cent. The population of Connacht was 552,907 in 1926 and 423,031 in 1991, a decrease of 129,876 or 23.5 per cent.
Does the Minister of State agree that the conclusions are obvious in that on the one hand in one region there is depopulation and devastation on a huge scale and on the other we continue to expand the monster called Dublin which is over-populated——
I am sorry, but, as the Deputy well knows, his question is essentially statistical and matters of policy ought not to arise therefore. He will have to pursue the policy aspect in another way.
May I briefly make the point that in Dublin there are massive traffic problems, pollution problems, housing problems and unemployment problems?
That is not in order now, Deputy.
Were these statistics taken into consideration when the National Development Plan was being drafted?
This question could possibly have been tied with the previous one. That is one of the reasons Fianna Fáil and the Government have been great advocates of decentralisation through the years.
There is one other statistics in which the Deputy might be interested. The population of the urban part of Connaught which consists of towns of 1,500 or more increased by 117 per cent in that period while in the rural part it declined by almost 39 per cent. Even within the boundaries of the provinces there is a huge shift in population.
Will the Minister indicate where those people have gone, apart from those who have passed away to their eternal reward? The American Ambassador is very welcome to the House today; if he were to carry out an analysis it would be found there is not a person in Connaught who does not have close relations in the United States.
The Deputy is embarking on a policy area. I have already ruled on that matter. We are dealing solely with statistics.
Is there a breakdown in the statistics the Minister gave to Deputy Higgins for 1926-91 of the number of males in each of those counties in 1926 and in 1991? Does the Minister have the same statistics in relation to females?
I do not have that information but I can let the Deputy have it.
