Population, Family and Community UN Expert Group Meeting Sept 9-12 2008 Siobhan Carey Assistant Director General Social and Demographic Statistics Central Statistics Office, Ireland

Content Synthesis of 3 papers Common threads Issues for future consideration 1st COP disability questions 2002 NDA pilot 2003 Govt decision 2004 -NDS- purpose 1st targeted national survey on disability - use of COP to select sample also a 1st 2002 - 2 questions Q 14 2 disability categories 2006 - 2 questions Q 15 5 disability categories including ‘other including chronic illness’ Questionnaires - consultative group, ICF

Population Israel Estimation of size of population and distribution Combination of traditional census and population register Population Register has good properties

Sets out some of the measurement issues, and the problems associated with making international classifications relevant and appropriate - nomadic populations - boundaries - ethnicity classifications

Migration Commonwealth of Independent States Immigration and emmigration Importance for BoP, tax revenue, remittances Census and Administrative records – arrivals and departures Permanent/temporary migrants Illegal migrants

Family and Community Jamaica Defintions and concepts – need to reflect social and legal structures Units of analysis – families, households (complex formulations) marital or union status ? Relevance for policy formulation ? (child development )

Common threads Difficulties in measurement Population: definitions, undercounting, overcounting, avoidance of counting, Migration: legal and illegal migration, remittances, temporary and permanent migrants, change of status – work/study Classifications and their relevance: reflect reality?

Common threads Timeliness – ability to update Administrative data – availability and accuracy Eg in the absence of vital registration Open borders Ability to cope with change – boundaries at state level and within state, legal structures Differences in meaning – urban?

Issues Life is becoming more complex Migration – eg – child benefit payments - labour mobility Social strctures - blended families - same sex relationships/marriages - creation new states

Issues Potential of administrative records Issues of privacy and confidentiality Focus on lower levels of disaggregation Eg Impact of migration on local administrative units Differences in local reality makes relevance of international classifications questionable (ethnicity, legal family structures, children)