§ Sir Brandon Rhys Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of census forms issued have not been returned or collected.
§ Sir George YoungIn a number of cases enumerators left census forms at houses but finally concluded that the house was unoccupied or that the occupants were all absent on census night: in these cases no census return was expected. In other cases enumerators left forms but failed to make contact with the occupants or, having made contact, failed to collect a form: these cases represent about 0.1 per cent. of the total number of census forms issued in England and Wales.
Included in this figure are sonic persons who have refused to fulfil their legal obligation to make a return and to whom the Registrar General is giving a further opportunity to do so before he proceeds further. Completed forms continue to be received by the census office.
The Registrar General is currently undertaking an investigation on a sample basis into the coverage and quality of the census results.