HL Deb 11 December 1990 vol 524 cc387-8

3.4 p.m.

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a third time.

Moved, That the Bill be now read a third time.—(Baroness Hooper.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, I beg to move that the Bill do now pass.

As the House will be aware, this short Bill reinforces the protection which the Census Act 1920 affords to the confidentiality of census information. We are therefore keen to see it enacted in time for the census which is to be taken on 21st April next year. I am pleased that the Bill has passed through all its stages in your Lordships' House without amendment. I wish to thank noble Lords for enabling it to make such speedy progress.

Moved, That the Bill do now pass.—(Baroness Hooper.)

Lord Ennals

My Lords, as my noble friend Lord Carter said at Second Reading, and as the Minister said just now, this is a non-contentious Bill—so much so that the Bill has reached Third Reading without amendment. I wish that all our Bills could be dealt with in that way.

I thank the noble Baroness for her letter in reply to a query which was raised by my noble friend on Report. It gave assurances that there would be protection against identifying individuals or groups from a combination of characteristics in census statistics for local areas. I am fully satisfied by those assurances. However, I wish to raise one matter which has been brought to my attention. Clause 1(7) (iii) might prevent the inputting of information about individuals from aggregated census statistics. It is open to that interpretation. Unfortunately, it is unclear whether the Bill extends its range to cover those bureaux which are licensed by the OPCS to analyse and disseminate census statistics in the commercial area. It is possible, though not clear, that Clause 1(2) (a) covers such bureaux. I should be grateful if the noble Baroness would answer that point.

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, I believe that the matter to which the noble Lord refers is covered by Section 4 of the Census Act 1920 and is not covered by the Bill before the House. Section 4 is the lawful authority for releasing these statistics. When the tables are designed, the census offices take every practicable step to minimise any risk of disclosure from those statistics of information about identifiable individuals. The bureaux to which the noble Lord refers receive only aggregated statistics under Section 4. No information from completed census forms about identifiable individuals leaves the census office for 100 years.

Lord Ennals

My Lords, I am grateful for that reply.

On Question, Bill passed, and sent to the Commons.