The government must undertake significant preparatory work to ensure that accurate data on gender and sexual orientation is collated after the next census, according to Social Democrats TD P\u00e1draig Rice.<\/p>\n
Deputy Rice, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on health, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is welcome news that Census 2027 will include questions on sexual orientation and gender. This important change will allow the State to measure the health, economic, educational and housing disparities faced by gender and sexual minorities. It will finally make visible what has been hidden in national data for too long.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has previously been called for by the OECD. In 2019, the organisation said that LGBTQ+ individuals and the penalties they face should be visible in national statistics. This, they said, is a prerequisite to their inclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, it is regrettable that a question on sex characteristics will not be included on the census form. Currently, there is a lack of data on the number and experiences of intersex people in Ireland. A question on the census on sex characteristics could have mitigated against the dearth of this information.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of sexual orientation and gender, preparatory work must begin now to address concerns around confidentiality and fear of disclosure, which could result in under-reporting.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome members of the LGBTQ+ community may not be out to their family, may not be out to members of their household, or may not be out to the wider community.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany lack trust in the State and its systems \u2013 in particular, older members of the community still dealing with the legacy of criminalisation of homosexuality.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone in a household fills out one shared census form, and this presents serious problems for those who may not be out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe online option for Census 2027 will help allay some of these concerns \u2013 but not for those who lack digital literacy or access to technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cAhead of 2027, research must be undertaken to provide a better understanding of the complex issues involved to ensure it informs how the CSO interprets and analyses the subsequent census data.\u201d<\/p>\n
November 20, 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The government must undertake significant preparatory work to ensure that accurate data on gender and sexual orientation is collated after the next census, according to Social Democrats TD P\u00e1draig Rice. Deputy Rice, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on health, said: \u201cIt is welcome news that Census 2027 will include questions on sexual orientation and gender. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[783,729,642,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-census","category-lgbtqi","category-padraig-rice","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n