This article is from page 5 of the 2006-04-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 5 JPG
THE future of essential infrastructural requirements in Clare will largely be determined by the data collected in the forthcoming Census.
That’s according to officials from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) who have begun issuing forms to households, institutions and businesses around Clare ahead of the Census on April 23.
“The statistics gathered from the Census are essential for detailing the requirements for health care, education and employment. The greatest strength of the census is the provision of detailed population figures at local level. These help to identify such things as the demand for hospitals and schools and it is of vital importance that we have all our people counted” said Kieran O’Loughlin, a field supervisor for the greater Ennis area.
About 1.5 million census forms are expected to be sent to homes throughout the State. In the Ennis area, it is expected that the forms will be sent to around 6,000 households, but precise figures are unknown.
Every person residing in the State on the night of the Census must be included in the form. This includes people staying with friends or relatives, staying in institutions, hotels and on board vessels. Householders and those responsible for institutions, must complete the forms in respect of every adult and child present on census night.
Not only will the census determine the demographic make-up of the population, it will also chart housing and employment trends. The forms will be translated into eleven languages and for the first time ever, will feature specific questions about a persons’ ethnic and cultural background. Census forms are also available in Braille and audio formats.
The census is the first since 2002, which recorded a population of 3.9 million, of which about 6 per cent were foreign nationals. Officials have predicted that the results may show that up to 10 per cent of the population are foreign nationals.