AQW 30240/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 03/09/2025
Answered On Date: 16/10/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) which business area within the Department for Communities paid for the research into the Vice President of the United States of America's genealogy and lineage; (ii) any subsequent publishing costs; and (iii) the total amount spent on this exercise including any Civil Service staff time.

Answer:

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland paid for the research into the Vice President of the United States of America’s genealogy lineage, the total amount spent for research and publication: The Family Footsteps of J.D. Vance was £2,251. The total amount spent on the exercise was £5,589 including Civil Service staff time.

This project was part of the Department’s work around US250 which highlights the people who travelled from Ulster to the USA and made a huge contribution in shaping the country we know today. The story of JD Vance highlights the influence and spirit of the Scots Irish and whilst record keeping in the 1700s isn’t of the quality that it is today, it has not deterred people like the Vice President from declaring their Scots Irish roots.”