longford- westmeath - Houses of the Oireachtas

CONSTITUENCY PROFILE:
LONGFORDWESTMEATH
This profile is based on the Census
the national average (see Figure 10
of Population 2006 which took
and Table 4).
place in the Republic of Ireland on
26th April 2006.
People in Longford-Westmeath
are more likely to own a car and
use it for daily commuting than
Key Highlights
people elsewhere in the State (see
In general Longford-Westmeath’s profile
is similar to the rest of the country.
CONTENTS
However, there are a few notable
2
differences:
Glossary
3
Demographics
4
Families
8
Introduction
Education
Employment
12
16
are less likely to have access to a
households nationally. Their Internet
more likely to have left education
access is also less likely to be via
earlier and with fewer qualifications
broadband (see Figure 19).
The
share
Westmeath
Households
and housing
Households in Longford-Westmeath
computer or the Internet than
and Table 3).
People in Longford-Westmeath are
than people nationally (see Figure 8
10
Figure 12).
It appears that there are more
people on the register of electors in
of
the
workforce
Longfordin
the
Longford-Westmeath
than
are
eligible to vote (see Table 5).
manufacturing and constructions
sectors and in manufacturing and
Voting and
turnout
20
construction occupations is above
No liability is accepted to any person arising out of any reliance on the contents of this paper. Nothing herein constitutes professional advice of any kind. This document contains a general
summary of developments and is not complete or definitive. It has been prepared for distribution to Members to aid them in their Parliamentary duties. Authors are available to discuss the
contents of these papers with Members and their staff.
Introduction
This profile is based on Census 2006 Small Area Statistics data published online at www.cso.ie/census/SAPs.htm. The
census took place in the Republic of Ireland on 26th April 2006. The Oireachtas Library & Research Service (L&RS) used
this publicly available information to create profiles for the 43 constituencies used in the 2007 General Election. The
profiles cover: demographic characteristics; the make-up of households and families; ethnic diversity; nationality and
religion; education and employment profiles; and the state of the constituency’s housing stock. The L&RS has also added
some electoral information for each constituency.
The variables used were selected from those available from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in order to provide a
reasonably detailed overview of the constituency. In calculating percentages, constituents who did not provide a response
were excluded (unless otherwise indicated). A copy of the census questionnaire is available on the CSO website. The
terminology used throughout this profile is, in general, the same as that used by the CSO. The census data does not
identify individual people; if certain variables could be used to identify people at the constituency level, this data is
combined into larger groups by the CSO to prevent such identification. Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
A glossary of terms used by the CSO is provided at the beginning of the profile to give further information on selected
variables. This profile and profiles for the other 42 Dáil constituencies may be downloaded from the Oireachtas website
(www.oireachtas.ie) – they are accessible from the Dáil Éireann navigation menu.
Oireachtas Library & Research Service 2008
2
Glossary
VARIABLE
DEFINITION
Private household
A private household comprises either one person living alone or a group of people
(not necessarily related) living at the same address with common housekeeping
arrangements - that is, sharing at least one meal a day or sharing a living room or
sitting room.
Permanent private household
This is a private household occupying a permanent dwelling such as a house, flat,
apartment or bedsitter.
Usually resident
This includes people enumerated (counted) in the area of their usual residence,
together with other people usually resident in that area who were enumerated
elsewhere in the State. Usual residents of an area who were not in the State on
census night are not included in the figures.
Housing unit
A housing unit is a conventional house, a structurally separate flat or apartment,
or a mobile or temporary dwelling, regardless of the number of private
households it contains.
Family unit
A family unit is defined as:
(1) a husband and wife or a cohabiting couple; or
(2) a husband and wife or a cohabiting couple together with one or more usually
resident never-married children (of any age); or
(3) one parent together with one or more usually resident never-married children
(of any age).
Family members have to be usual residents of the relevant household.
Industry
The 2006 Census uses the General Industrial Classification of Economic Activities
within the European Communities (NACE) to code industries. Whatever their
occupation, the industry in which a person is engaged is determined by the main
economic activity carried out in the local unit in which he or she works. The term
“industry” used for Census of Population purposes is not confined to
manufacturing industry. Instead, it refers to the “sector of economic activity”. In
the case of employees, industrial classification is based on the business or
profession of their employer and in the case of self-employed people, on the
nature of their own business or profession.
Occupation
The occupation classification used in the census is based on the UK Standard
Occupational Classification, with modifications to reflect Irish labour market
conditions.
The code to which a person’s occupation is classified is determined by the kind of
work he or she performs in earning a living, irrespective of where or why it is
performed. The nature of the industry, business or service in which the person is
working has no bearing upon the classification of the occupation. For example,
the occupation “clerk” covers clerks employed in manufacturing industries,
commerce, banking, insurance, public administration, professions and other
services, etc.
Source: Appendices of various Census 2006 publications
The data on industries and occupations is aggregated into a small number of broad level groups. Detailed lists of the industries
and occupations that make up these groups are on the Constituency Profiles page of the Oireachtas website.
3
Demographics
This section covers:
Demographic breakdown (Table 1)
Marital status (Figure 1)
Age profile (Figure 2)
Disability (Figure 3)
Nationality (Table 2)
Ethnicity (Table 2)
Religion (Figure 4)
Demographic breakdown
Higher population growth than the national average
Slightly higher proportion of males than the national average
Proportion of Irish speakers close to the national average
In 2006, 2.5% of the Irish population lived in Longford-Westmeath. The constituency had a higher population growth
between 2002 and 2006 than the country as a whole (see Table 1). There are more males than females in LongfordWestmeath, with 101.9 males for every 100 females – this compares to an almost-equal distribution nationally. The
proportion of Irish speakers in Longford-Westmeath is close to the national average.
Table 1: Demographic breakdown
State
Longford-Westmeath
Population 2006
4,239,848
106,211
Population 2002
3,917,203
96,453
Share of total population
100%
2.5%
Population growth 2002-2006
8.2%
10.1%
Ratio of males to 100 females
100.1
101.9
Share with Irish language
(Population aged 3 or above)
40.8%
40.5%
Marital Status
Above average marriage rate
People in Longford-Westmeath are more likely to be married than the national population (50.7% vs. 48.8%) and are also
more likely to be separated/divorced or widowed (see Figure 1).
4
Figure 1: Marital status of those aged 18 and over
State
Longford-Westmeath
5.9%
6.4%
5.2%
5.5%
40.0%
48.8%
■
Single
■
37.3%
50.7%
Married
■
■
Separated/Divorced
Widowed
Age Profile
More people aged 19 years and younger than the national average
Fewer people in the 20 to 39 age range than the national average
The average age of the Longford-Westmeath population is 35.4 years. This is close to the national average of 35.6 years.
However, compared to the national figures there are more people in Longford-Westmeath aged 19 years or under (29.0%
vs. 27.2%) and fewer people in the age groups 20 to 39 (30.7% vs. 32.7%). This could indicate that people who reach
adulthood in Longford-Westmeath move away for work or study reasons. Above the age of 40 there is little difference in
the age distribution between Longford-Westmeath and the State as a whole (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Age profile of population
Longford-Westmeath
State
Age
1.2%
1.1%
85+
1.7%
1.5%
80-84
2.2%
2.2%
75-79
2.9%
2.8%
70-74
3.3%
3.4%
65-69
4.2%
4.3%
60-64
5.3%
5.3%
55-59
6.0%
5.8%
50-54
6.5%
6.5%
7.1%
45-49
7.1%
7.5%
7.6%
7.7%
8.2%
7.9%
8.8%
7.6%
8.1%
7.0%
7.1%
6.8%
6.5%
7.3%
6.8%
7.1%
10%
8%
7.6%
6%
4%
■
2%
State
0%
■
2%
4%
6%
8%
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
05-09
0-04
10%
Longford-Westmeath
5
Disability
Disability rates close to the national average
In the 2006 Census 9,971 people in Longford-Westmeath indicated that they have a disability – or 9.4% of the population
(see Figure 3). This is close to the national average of 9.3%. Approximately 30.8% of those aged 65 years and older in
Longford-Westmeath have a disability compared to 29.5% nationally.
Figure 3: Share of people with a disability by age group
■
State
■
Longford-Westmeath
35%
29.5%
30%
30.8%
25%
20%
15%
12.4%
12.4%
9.3%
10%
5%
3.8%
3.7%
4.6%
4.6%
5.8%
9.4%
5.7%
0%
0-14 yrs
15-24 yrs
25-44 yrs
45-64 yrs
65 yrs & over
All ages
Nationality and ethnicity
More Irish nationals than the national average
Level of ethnic diversity close to the national average
There are 105,014 people who are usually resident in Longford-Westmeath, with 89% identifying their nationality as Irish
– slightly above the national average. Residents of Longford-Westmeath are less likely to hold non-EU citizenship (see
Table 2). There are proportionally more Polish and Lithuanian nationals in Longford-Westmeath than nationally. The
ethnicity profile of is quite close to the national average with two notable exceptions. Longford-Westmeath has slightly
more individuals than average identifying themselves as White Irish Travellers (1.1% vs. 0.5%). In addition, there are
proportionally fewer Asian or Asian Irish in Longford-Westmeath than nationally (0.8% vs. 1.3%).
Table 2: Usually resident population by nationality and ethnicity
6
Nationality
State
LongfordWestmeath
Ethnicity
State
LongfordWestmeath
Irish
88.8%
89.0%
White Irish
87.4%
87.2%
United Kingdom
2.7%
2.8%
White Irish Traveller
0.5%
1.1%
Polish
1.5%
1.8%
Other White
6.9%
6.8%
Lithuanian
0.6%
0.9%
Black or Black Irish
1.1%
1.2%
Other EU
1.8%
1.6%
Asian or Asian Irish
1.3%
0.8%
Non-EU / Not stated
4.5%
3.9%
Other / Not stated
2.8%
2.9%
Religion
More Catholics than the national average
Fewer people who have another stated or no religion than the national average
A greater proportion of Longford-Westmeath people classify themselves as Catholics than in the State as a whole and
people from Longford-Westmeath are less likely to define themselves as having another stated religion or as having no
religion1 (see Figure 4).
Figure 4: Usually resident population by religion
State
7.1%
Longford-Westmeath
4.4% 1.7%
6.1%
2.5% 1.5%
86.8%
■
1
Catholic
■
Other stated religion
89.9%
■
No religion
■
Religion not stated
While the census overall gives a more detailed breakdown of different religions, the CSO does not publish a more detailed breakdown at constituency
level - as this may identify certain individuals or families.
7
Families
This section covers:
Family cycle (Figure 5)
Family size (Figure 6)
Family type (Figure 7)
Family cycle
Fewer families with adult children than the national average
More families with adolescents than the national average
There are 18,923 family units with children in Longford-Westmeath. Figure 5 shows the proportion of these families by
family cycle based on the age of the youngest child. In Longford-Westmeath 15.4% of families have children at pre-school
level – slightly below the national average. The proportion of families with adult children is smaller in Longford-Westmeath
than in the State overall (34.1% vs. 36.4%). On the other hand, there are proportionally more families with adolescents in
Longford-Westmeath than in the State overall.
Figure 5: Proportion of families by family cycle
■
State
■
Longford-Westmeath
45%
40%
36.4%
35%
34.1%
30%
25%
20%
15.9%
15.4%
15.6%
15.9%
15%
14.7%
16.0%
17.5%
18.7%
10%
5%
0%
Pre-school
Early school
Pre-adolescent
Adolescent
Adult
Family size
More households with younger children than the national average
In Longford-Westmeath there are 11,966 families with at least one child under 15 years of age.2 This means that 32.7%
of households have families with children under 15 years compared to 31.4% of households nationally. In LongfordWestmeath 28.3% of these families have one child, with 35.1% having two children. These figures are below the national
average (see Figure 6). Approximately 4.2% of these families in Longford-Westmeath have five or more children – above
the national average.
2
8
We present data (Figure 6) on families with younger children (i.e. those under 15 years old).The census also includes data on families with children
aged 15 years and older but these figures include adult children.
Figure 6: Proportion of families with at least one child under 15 years,
by number of children
5 or more
children
3.4%
4.2%
8.6%
10.0%
4 children
22.2%
22.4%
3 children
36.0%
35.1%
2 children
29.9%
28.3%
1 child
0%
5%
10%
■
15%
State
■
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Longford-Westmeath
Family type
Slightly fewer single mother families than the national average
Figure 7 shows that in Longford-Westmeath there are slightly fewer families with at least one child under 15 years old
headed by a single mother; 19.1% compared to 19.7% nationally. Approximately the same percentage of families are
headed by single fathers in Longford-Westmeath as in the State as a whole (1.7% vs. 1.6%).
Figure 7: Single parent families and other families with at least one child under
15 years old
State
Longford-Westmeath
1.7%
1.6%
19.7%
19.1%
79.2%
78.7%
■
Single father with children
■
Single mother with children
■
Couples with children
9
Education
This section covers:
Education by age ceased (Figure 8)
Education qualifications (Table 3)
Education by age ceased
Men more likely to have finished their education earlier
than the national average
Fewer females have stayed in education past the age of 20 than the national average
Men in Longford-Westmeath are more likely to have finished their education at an earlier age than men in the rest of the
country. Approximately 52% of men completed their education at age 17 or below compared to 50% of men in the State as a
whole. Nationally 23% of men finished their education aged 21 years or above compared to 19% of Longford-Westmeath men.
Longford-Westmeath women are as likely to have finished their education aged 15 years or under as women in the rest of the
State. However, they are less likely to have continued their education past the age of 20, with 21% of women completing
education aged 21 years or above in Longford-Westmeath compared to the national average of 24% (see Figure 8).
Figure 8: Males and females aged 15 and over by age education ceased
Male
Female
100%
100%
19%
23%
75%
24%
5%
6%
5%
5%
75%
7%
5%
7%
19%
17%
19%
50%
15%
16%
9%
8%
14%
15%
21%
50%
13%
12%
25%
25%
0%
13%
14%
13%
13%
7%
7%
12%
12%
State
LongfordWestmeath
0%
State
10
5%
21%
LongfordWestmeath
Under 15yrs
15yrs
16yrs
17yrs
18yrs
19yrs
20yrs
21yrs & over
Qualifications achieved
Proportionally more males left education at lower secondary level or below than the national average
Proportionally more females with secondary and technical qualifications than the national average
Men in Longford-Westmeath are more likely (by four percentage points) than men nationally to report that they left
education at lower secondary level or below (see Table 3). They are less likely to report that they have a primary or postgraduate degree. On average, the education level of Irish females is above that of Irish males. In Longford-Westmeath this
is true at third level; the share of females with some form of third level education is 29%, compared to 21% of males.
However, women in Longford-Westmeath are slightly less likely to have third level qualifications than women nationally.
Table 3:
Highest education achieved by those aged 15 or over who have
completed education
MALE
State
FEMALE
LongfordWestmeath
State
LongfordWestmeath
Primary or lower
19%
21%
17%
18%
Lower secondary education
21%
23%
19%
19%
Upper secondary and/or technical
29%
30%
28%
29%
9%
8%
12%
12%
11%
9%
12%
11%
Post-graduate or PhD
6%
4%
7%
6%
Not stated
5%
5%
5%
5%
100%
100%
100%
100%
Non-degree third level
Primary degree or equivalent
11
Employment
This section covers:
Economic status (Figure 9)
Sector employed (Table 4)
Occupation (Figure 10)
Journey time to work/school (Figure 11)
Method of transport to work/school (Figure 12)
Volunteering (Figure 13)
Economic status
Proportionally more women looking after home/family than the national average
The economic status of men reflects the national average
Figure 9 shows that Longford-Westmeath women are less likely to be at work (by 2.2 percentage points) and more likely
to be looking after home/family (by 1.4 percentage points) than Irish women generally. There are no substantial
differences between the economic status of men in Longford-Westmeath and the situation experienced by males
nationally.
Figure 9: Principal economic status of those aged 15 or over
Male
100%
75%
Female
1.0%
1.1%
4.2%
4.4%
12.7%
12.9%
9.8%
9.0%
6.4%
6.3%
100%
21.8%
4.0%
4.2%
10.5%
10.5%
10.9%
10.5%
50%
4.3%
5.3%
25%
48.5%
46.3%
75%
50%
66.3%
66.0%
25%
0%
0%
State
LongfordWestmeath
At Work
Unemployed
State
Student
Retired/Other
Unable to work due to permanent sickness or disability
Looking after home/family
12
23.2%
LongfordWestmeath
Sector employed
Proportionally more people are employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing than the national average
Proportionally more employed in construction and manufacturing than the national average
Proportionally fewer employed in commerce and trade than the national average
The total number of people at work in Longford-Westmeath at the time of the census was 46,729. Females made up 40.8%
of the Longford-Westmeath workforce – below the national average of 42.6%. In 2006, 17.3% of workers in LongfordWestmeath were self employed; 1.3 percentage points higher than the national average.
The largest sector in terms of employment, with 10,460 people employed, was the commerce and trade sector (see Table
4). This sector includes shops and wholesalers, financial institutions, real estate firms and other business activities.
However, workers in Longford-Westmeath are far less likely (by 4.7 percentage points) to be employed in the commerce
and trade sector than workers nationally. People in Longford-Westmeath are proportionally more likely to work in
agriculture, forestry and fishing than is the case nationally. They are also proportionally more likely to work in the
construction and manufacturing sectors.
Table 4: Sector of employment of those at work
LONGFORD-WESTMEATH
Total Employed
Sector Share %
STATE
Sector Share %
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
2,732
5.8%
4.6%
Building and construction
6,140
13.1%
11.1%
Manufacturing industries
6,977
14.9%
13.6%
10,460
22.4%
27.1%
Transport and communications
2,285
4.9%
5.5%
Public administration
2,928
6.3%
5.2%
Health and education
7,846
16.8%
16.5%
Other
7,361
15.8%
16.3%
46,729
100.0%
100.0%
Commerce and trade
Overall
Occupation
Proportionally more agricultural workers than the national average
Proportionally more construction and manufacturing workers than the national average
Proportionally fewer professional, sales, clerical, and managerial and government workers than the national average
As expected with a mainly rural constituency, Longford-Westmeath has a higher than average share of its workers in
agricultural occupations (5.7% vs. 4.5%). It also has a higher than average share of workers in construction and
manufacturing occupations, by 2.3 and 0.9 percentage points respectively (see Figure 10). Its shares of professional, sales,
clerical, and managerial and government workers are below the national average.
See Figure 10 overleaf
13
Figure 10: Occupations of those at work
Farming, fishing &
foresty managers
3.7%
4.9%
0.8%
0.8%
Other agricultural workers
11.9%
12.8%
Manufacturing workers
8.8%
Building &
construction Workers
11.1%
9.1%
Clerical & office workers
7.3%
9.3%
Managerial &
government workers
7.9%
5.7%
5.0%
Transport workers
14.1%
12.9%
Sales workers
17.3%
16.1%
Professional workers
11.1%
11.7%
Services workers
8.3%
9.4%
Other workers
0%
5%
■
10%
State
■
15%
20%
25%
Longford-Westmeath
Journey time to work/school
Shorter commute than the national average
People in Longford-Westmeath spend less time travelling to work or school than the national average. The average travel time
in Longford-Westmeath is approximately 23.8 minutes as opposed to 26.5 minutes nationally. Figure 11 shows that more
people in Longford-Westmeath have short commutes (less than 15 minutes) than the national average. However, more people
in Longford-Westmeath have commutes lasting over one and a half hours than the national average (4.1% vs. 2.7%).
Figure 11: People aged 5 and over by journey time to work, school or college
2.7%
4.1%
Over 90 minutes
6.4%
4.3%
60-90 minutes
6.1%
45-60 minutes
3.6%
16.6%
30-45 minutes
11.6%
30.5%
30.0%
15-30 minutes
37.7%
Under 15 minutes
46.4%
0%
5%
10%
■
14
15%
State
20%
■
25%
30%
Longford-Westmeath
35%
40%
45%
50%
Method of transport to work/school
Proportionally more commuters by car than the national average
People in Longford-Westmeath are proportionally more likely to travel to work or school by car, either as a passenger or
as a driver, and less likely to travel by public transport than people nationally (see Figure 12). A total of 81.2% of permanent
private households own one or more cars in Longford-Westmeath, while the figure for the whole country is 80.3%. People
in Longford-Westmeath are less likely than average to walk or cycle to work or school.
Figure 12: People aged 5 and over by means of travel to work, school or college
50%
40.7%
40%
42.2%
30%
20%
16.7%
15.8% 13.9%
10.3% 12.0%
11.9% 10.2%
10%
2.0%
2.6%
1.2%
0%
On foot
19.8%
Bicycle
Bus, minibus
or coach
■
State
0.8%
Train, DART
or LUAS
■
Car driver
Car
passenger
Other
Longford-Westmeath
Volunteering
Higher rate of volunteerism than the national average
Men are more likely to volunteer to sporting organisations than the national average
Women are less likely to volunteer to social and charitable organisations than the national average
In Longford-Westmeath 13,688 people aged 15 years or over volunteer for at least one activity. People in LongfordWestmeath are slightly more likely to participate in a voluntary organisation than the national population. Nationally
16.4% of people volunteer in some way but this figure is 16.5% in Longford-Westmeath. Figure 13 looks at the types of
organisations to which individuals volunteer.3 Men in Longford-Westmeath are more likely to volunteer to sporting
organisations than men generally. Nationally 7.4% of men volunteer for sporting organisations but this figure is 8.4% in
Longford-Westmeath. Women in Longford-Westmeath are also more likely than average to volunteer to sporting
organisations. They are less likely to volunteer to social or charitable organisations than the national average.
Figure 13: Share of those aged 15 and over participating in voluntary activity by
gender and nature of activity
Male
Female
10%
10%
8.4%
7.4%
8%
6%
3.7% 3.5%
3.4% 3.4%
1.6% 1.7%
2%
Social or
charitable
Religious
group or
church
Sporting
Political or
cultural
■
3
6.7%
6.3%
6%
4.7% 4.7%
4%
0%
8%
5.1%
5.3%
3.3%
4%
2%
0%
Any other
voluntary
activity
State
■
4.6%
4.0%
4.1%
1.2% 1.2%
Social or
charitable
Religious
group or
church
Sporting
Political or
cultural
Any other
voluntary
activity
Longford-Westmeath
The percentage shares participating in various voluntary activities in Figure 13 do not add up to the overall share of the population aged 15 years or
over participating in voluntary activity as some individuals participate in more than one type of activity.
15
Households and Housing
This section covers:
Household type and size (Figure 14)
Occupancy type (Figure 15)
Age of housing stock (Figure 16)
Type of water supply (Figure 17)
Type of sewerage facilities (Figure 18)
Access to a computer and the Internet (Figure 19)
Household type and size
Householders more likely to live in a house or bungalow than the national average
Average household size close to the national average
There are 36,621 private households in Longford-Westmeath with 103,568 people living in them. Households in LongfordWestmeath are more likely to live in a house or bungalow (93.1%) than people elsewhere in the State (89.2%) and less
likely to live in a flat/apartment or bedsit (6.2% vs. 10.3%). Approximately 0.6% of households live in caravans. Overall the
average household size is similar in Longford-Westmeath and the State. Longford-Westmeath has an average of 2.83
people per household compared to an average of 2.81 people nationally. Figure 14 shows that the distribution by
household size in Longford-Westmeath is close to the national average.
Figure 14: Proportion of households by size
30%
25%
28.3% 28.2%
22.4% 22.4%
20%
18.1% 17.8%
16.6% 16.2%
15%
9.3%
10%
9.3%
3.7%
5%
4.3%
1.0%
1.2%
0%
1 person
2 people
3 people
■
4 people
State
■
5 people
6 people
7 people
0.5%
0.7%
8 or more
people
Longford-Westmeath
Occupancy type
Householders slightly more likely to own homes than the national average
More householders own homes outright than the national average
A total of 36,396 households in Longford-Westmeath live in permanent private dwellings. People in Longford-Westmeath
are more likely to live in owner-occupied homes (75.3%) than people elsewhere in Ireland (74.7%). Households in LongfordWestmeath are more likely to own their houses outright than the national average. A total of 35.4% of permanent private
households own their homes outright in Longford-Westmeath compared to 34.1% nationally (see Figure 15). However,
within Longford-Westmeath more owner occupiers hold mortgages on their homes4 than own their homes outright.
4
16
Owner occupiers with mortgages include the ‘owner occupied with mortgage’ and ‘buying from local authority’ groups from Figure 15.
Figure 15: Share of people in permanent private households by type of occupancy
50%
40%
39.0% 38.4%
34.1%
35.4%
30%
20%
7.2%
10%
7.1%
1.5%
1.6%
9.9%
3.5%
8.8%
3.8%
1.5%
3.2%
1.4%
3.6%
0%
Owner
occupied
with
mortgage
Owner
occupied no
mortgage
Buying from
local
authority
■
Rented from Rented from
voluntary
local
body
authority
State
■
Private
rented
Occupied
free of rent
Not
stated
Longford-Westmeath
Age of housing stock
Proportionally more very new houses than the national average
The age of occupied houses in Longford-Westmeath reflects the age of houses generally in the country. The exception to
this is very new housing (see Figure 16). Longford-Westmeath has more housing built between 1996 and 2006 than
nationally (34.3% vs. 29.0%).
Figure 16: Share of permanent private households by year house built
25%
21.4%
20%
17.9%
15.2% 14.6%
15%
11.1% 11.7%
10%
10.2%
7.7%
12.9%
11.9% 11.2%
8.9%
7.1%
11.1%
8.1%
6.7%
6.4%
5.7%
5%
0%
Pre 1919
1919 to
1940
1941 to
1960
1961 to
1970
■
State
■
1971 to
1980
1981 to
1990
1991 to
1995
1996 to
2000
2001 or
later
Longford-Westmeath
17
Type of water supply
More likely to source water privately than the national average
Figure 17 shows that Longford-Westmeath households are less likely to be attached to a public water supply (79.5% vs.
83.5%) and more likely to obtain water through a private source (16.6% vs. 13.1%). Other census data (not shown) reveals
that permanent private households in Longford-Westmeath are less likely to have central heating than the rest of the State
(88.2% vs. 90.4%).
Figure 17: Share of permanent private households by type of water supply
State
9.9%
Longford-Westmeath
3.5%
3.8%
14.6%
3.2%
2.0%
8.7%
9.6%
69.9%
74.8%
■
Public main
■
■
Group scheme with local authority source
■
Other private source
■
Group scheme with private source
None or not stated
Types of sewerage facilities
Proportionally more individual septic tanks than the national average
Figure 18 shows that Longford-Westmeath households are less likely to manage their waste water through a public
scheme (53.1% vs. 67.6%) and more likely to have an individual septic tank (43.5%) than households nationally (29.5%).
Figure 18: Share of private households by type of sewerage facilities
0.3%
No sewerage
facility
0.4%
2.6%
Other
2.9%
29.5%
Individual
septic tank
43.5%
67.6%
Public scheme
53.1%
0%
10%
20%
■
18
30%
State
40%
■
50%
60%
Longford-Westmeath
70%
80%
90%
100%
Access to a computer and the Internet
Less likely to have PC, Internet access and broadband than the national average
Households in Longford-Westmeath are less likely to have a PC (52.2% vs. 56.6%) and access to the Internet (40.8% vs.
46.7%) than other households in the State. Moreover, Internet access is much less likely to be via broadband; 13% of
households in Longford-Westmeath had broadband Internet access compared with 20% for the State as a whole in 2006
(see Figure 19).
Figure 19: Computers and access to the Internet - share of households
60%
56.6%
52.2%
46.7%
50%
40.8%
40%
30%
20.0%
20%
13.0%
10%
0%
% with PC
% with Internet access
■
State
■
% with broadband
Longford-Westmeath
19
Voting and Turnout - Election 2007
This section covers:
Voting and turnout (Table 5)
Voting and turnout
Turnout in the 2007 General Election was below the
national average
A total of 83,980 people were registered to vote at the last election in Longford-Westmeath. The turnout was 55,529
people or 66.1% of those registered to vote – below the national turnout (see Table 5). There appears to be more people
on the register than are eligible to vote. If we use census figures to estimate the number of people who were eligible to
vote5 in 2007, we see that there were 14.7% more people on the register than the estimate of the population eligible to
vote. This is a problem nationally with the electoral register but appears to be much more acute in Longford-Westmeath.
Table 5: Voting and turnout - General Election 2007
State
Longford-Westmeath
Registered to vote 2007
3,110,914
83,980
Voter turnout 2007
2,085,245
55,529
67.0%
66.1%
2,984,822
73,208
4.2%
14.7%
Turnout / register
Estimated eligible to vote population 2007
Percentage difference between estimated
eligible to vote and those registered to vote
Longford-Westmeath returns four TDs to Dáil Éireann and in 2007 they were:
Willie Penrose (The Labour Party)
Mary O’Rourke (Fianna Fáil)
Peter Kelly (Fianna Fáil)
James Bannon (Fine Gael)
Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fáil) and Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael), who ran for election in this constituency, became Senators
in the 23rd Seanad.
After the publication of the census a Constituency Commission was set up to review the boundaries of the constituencies
to be used in the next general election. No changes were recommended for Longford-Westmeath.
5
20
The estimate is the number of 17 year olds and above from the 2006 Census who hold Irish or UK nationality. This was estimated by using the share of
the population in the constituency who declared themselves as Irish or United Kingdom nationals. It does not account for migration or deaths between
the time of the census and the 2007 General Election. The “registered to vote” and the “turnout” figures are from the election results available on the
Oireachtas website.