Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2024
344. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if digitisation has commenced on the first census of the new Irish State, which will have its centenary in 2026 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21802/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 1926 Census was taken on the night of 18 April 1926 and is the next full set of census records available in Ireland following the 1911 and 1901 censuses.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) published 10 volumes of statistical information gathered in the 1926 census and it can be viewed at the following link www.cso.ie/en/census/censusvolumes1926to1991/historicalreports/ as indeed can information from all other censuses carried out in Ireland since the foundation of the State.
Under Sections 33 and 35 of the Statistics Act 1993, information gathered by the census relating directly or indirectly to an identifiable person cannot be released until 100 years after the date the census was taken. This means that the CSO owns census data until it is 100 years old, at that point ownership transfers to the National Archives which is part of my Department. I have allocated funding for the significant volume of work required to prepare the 1926 Census for online publication, involving the conservation and the digitisation of the data in the individual 1926 Census forms.
The National Archives in collaboration with the CSO, is preparing the 1926 Census for publication. A provisional index has been formulated using a combination of guidance data from the 1901 & 1911 census in conjunction with information from the 1926 Census Report. Cataloguing of the 1.5 million census returns is underway and data obtained from this activity will be used to finalise the index. Cataloguing is due to be completed by early 2025.
The National Archives is developing a new website to enable platforming of the 1926 Census as well as associated bespoke software to enable analysis of data across the 1901, 1911 and 1926 census returns. It is hoped that work will be complete in time for public release at the end of the statute period on 18 April 2026.
