§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency treats Ulster Scots as a distinct ethnic group. [HL1486]
§ The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos)The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) produces statistics on self-reported ethnic groups, the most comprehensive source being the 2001 census of population. In addition to a number of pre-coded categories, the census question on ethnic group included an open-ended response option enabling respondents to describe the ethnic group to which they considered they belonged. Respondents to this option included persons who described themselves as Ulster Scots.