§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will include a question about Gaelic and Welsh-speaking ability in any future national census to be conducted in England.
§ Mr. FreemanThe Government's proposals for the 1991 census in Great Britain were published in a White Paper (Cm. 430) on 19 July 1988. They do not include a question about Gaelic and Welsh-speaking ability in England.
There were many topics put forward which were considered but not included. Requests to include a question on Celtic languages throughout Great Britain and asking the Welsh language question outside Wales were excluded from the Government's proposals mainly because the arguments for including them were not considered strong enough compared with the cases for questions on other topics.
The topic content of any census after 1991 will be a matter for consideration at the appropriate time.
§ Mr. RookerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if households included in the proposed test census will be informed in advance that participation is voluntary.
§ Mr. FreemanYes. An information leaflet which states that the test is voluntary, but that its success depends on co-operation, will be delivered to each household in the test areas about two weeks before the day of the test.
§ Mr. RookerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the parliamentary constituencies affected by the test census planned for April.
§ Mr. FreemanThe areas selected for the 1989 census test cover parts of the following constituencies: Tooting, Wimbledon, Mitcham and Morden, Perry Barr, Small Heath, Scarborough, Edinburgh South, Edinburgh Central, East Lothian, Roxburgh and Berwickshire.