Madam, - The 2006 census gives the number of Chinese resident in Ireland at only 11,161. I suspect the actual number is well over 100,000.
The reason why so many Chinese, like other nationalities, remain uncounted, may be due to the draconian revised conditions attached to applying for an immigrant's green card which Michael McDowell introduced last year.
Green cards now cost €100 annually (previously they were free); the applicant needs to show a healthy bank balance, plus private medical insurance. Lastly, those who wish to apply for a green card need to take time off work (maybe days) to queue in the Department of Justice's chaotic Immigration Office. Many thousands of immigrants are not bothering, so they are hardly going to take the risk of filing a census return.
We now have the crazy situation where Government Departments are planning for the future based on a census that may under-represent our population by over a quarter of a million. Nice one, Mr McDowell. - Yours, etc,
JOHN DEVLIN, Erne Terrace, Dublin 2.