Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 66: To ask the Taoiseach if those sleeping rough and homeless will be included in the census count; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45212/10]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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The aim of Census 2011 is to count every person in the State on Census Night – 10 April 2011. This includes homeless persons and those sleeping rough. Following a number of submissions to the Central Statistics Office on how to cover homeless persons the office set up a consultative group to advise it on the best means of achieving this goal. The consultative group consisted of officials from the CSO, the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Fingal County Council, the Health Service Executive and representatives from the National Homeless Consultative Committee, the Homeless Agency, Threshold, Focus Ireland and the Simon Community.

Following a meeting of the group a list of establishments containing homeless persons was drawn up. Enumerators in the field will also be instructed to identify other accommodation containing homeless persons. The enumeration of persons in these establishments on Census Night will enable a profile of homeless persons to be compiled. In Dublin, the Homeless Agency will carry out a count of rough sleepers on Census night. For areas outside Dublin, CSO will collaborate with local authorities and voluntary organisations to identify rough sleepers and enumerate them in the census. The objective of the work undertaken is to be able to separately distinguish homeless persons in CSO's output programme.