This report presents both the proceedings of the Council’s conference, Planning for an Ageing Population: Strategic Considerations, and the Council’s discussion paper, ‘The Older Population: Information Issues and Deficits’, which was introduced at that conference. The Council is committed to the promotion of a positive and practical understanding of population ageing in Ireland. Such an understanding is key, the Council believes, to the development of a policy, planning and implementation environment responsive to the challenge of population ageing. There are specific requirements in meeting the challenge of population ageing. These include: population projections; information systems which can provide us with timely and adequate data about the older population; the practice of strategic planning; and the further analysis of concepts – such as independence, dependence and interdependence – which are pivotal in the management of population ageing. The Council’s conference and discussion paper were planned in tandem to enable consideration of the status quo with regard to these requirements.