Sir, - Your report (March 17th) brings the welcome news that the Central Statistics Office intends to include a census question on the ethnic identity of respondents.
However, the reported sample questions indicate respondents will be asked to tick boxes marked "Irish", "Irish Traveller", "British" and "Other". The questions appear to indicate a confusion as to the meaning of ethnicity and nationality. There is an implication that if one counts oneself as "Irish" one can not also have an ethnic identity of Black, or Vietnamese or Romany. The questions appear to do little more than reinforce the stereotypes of separateness and exclusion already prevalent in Irish society.
I am reminded of a previous letter of complaint to your pages regarding similar discriminatory questions in the British Census where black Irish persons were forced to choose between being black or Irish. On that occasion the official British Census response was that they had never heard of a black Irishman. Neither it seems have our Central Statistics Office. - Yours, etc.,
James Reynolds, Rialto, Dublin 8.