Mr. J. Enoch Powellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he reconciles the estimate of 50,000 British citizens of voting age resident in the Republic of Ireland with the Irish Statistical Office estimate of 84,000 persons born in Great Britain resident in the Republic of Ireland on census day 1971.
§ Mr. MellorI understand that there is no accurate and up-to-date source of information on the number of British citizens resident in the Republic of Ireland. The estimate of 50,000 in 1983 is approximate. According to the 1971 census of population of Ireland, there were about 42,000 persons of voting age out of 84,000 born in Great Britain and resident in the Republic of Ireland on census day 1971 and a further 22,000 persons of voting age born in Northern Ireland.