Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The right decision was taken last September to postpone the census until 3 April next year. It is important to proceed and gather that information from the census so policymakers can make the right decision over the next ten years. Perhaps the Minister of State could detail the contingencies in place to ensure the census will happen next April.

A colleague has raised the question of the 1926 census, data from which is due to be published in 2026. Will the Minister of State consider doing that earlier? That census was taken at a tumultuous time for the State and the previous census was taken in 1911. It would be important to look at publishing it a bit earlier. There would be some great tourism and heritage benefits in this, especially for those who live abroad and who might come to the State to trace their roots. It is important that we look to try to publish that information as soon as possible.

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