Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 157: To ask the Taoiseach his plans to instruct the Central Statistics Office to compile data on emigration on a quarterly or six months rather than the current annual basis in view of the need to gather regular and up to date information on the numbers of persons emigrating from Ireland to inform policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26211/12]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 158: To ask the Taoiseach the reason the Central Statistics Office does not collect data on the destination of emigrants leaving Ireland; his plans to collect data on the destination of Irish emigrants and the numbers to each country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26212/12]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 157 and 158 together. Annual information on migration (immigration and emigration) is published in the Population and Migration Estimates release which issues in September each year.

The principal source of information for the estimation of annual migration flows published by the Central Statistics Office, incorporating both emigration and immigration, is the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS); the published estimates are classified by sex, broad age group, origin and destination, and nationality.

Because of the underlying seasonality and variability of all migration flows the CSO does not publish these estimates on a sub-annual basis e.g. six monthly or quarterly.

Data on emigration is estimated by broad destination. The provision of emigration data at a more detailed level, such as country of destination, is not currently possible due to measurement issues associated with sub-populations, sample sizes and other practical issues in sample surveys such as the QNHS.

The estimates are published on an annual basis in September of each year. The next publication in September 2012 will cover the period April 2007 to April 2012.