Census Helpline (Hansard, 27 April 2001)

§ Miss Melanie Johnson

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Miss Anne McIntosh, dated 30 April 2001: As Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking about callers to the Census Helpline (158957, 158958). 431W In the three weeks since the beginning of the Census 2001 campaign, up to 25 April, the Helpline has received more than 1 million calls, with 240,000 calls received on 23 April alone. This level of response in such a short period of time is unprecedented for a government campaign. In comparison, in 1991 some 125,000 calls were received by the Helpline before Census day and a further 85,000 calls after it. The Office for National Statistics is working with Cable and Wireless, who operate the Helpline, to meet demand. The number of telephone lines on the Main Helpline was increased to 1,000 lines on 26 April. The system has also been amended to try and answer the most common queries with recorded information. In addition a new dedicated Helpline with 500 lines is operating for 27 April for those people who have not yet received their Census form. The additional Helpline number, which is being advertised in the media, is 0845 301 3000. A copy of a recently issued Press Release on the Census Helpline is attached. Helping the public with the census—Press Release 24 April 2001 240,000 calls received by helpline in one day. The Office for National Statistics is appealing to the media and community groups for assistance in answering the nation's questions about the census. With five days to go to Census Day on Sunday 29 April 2001, the census helpline is receiving an incredible number of enquiries so that some people are unable to get through to the recorded information or speak to an operator. In the three weeks since the beginning of the census 2001 campaign, the helpline has received more than 650,000 calls with 240,000 calls received yesterday. This level of response in such a short period of time is unprecedented for a government campaign. In 1991, 125,000 calls were received by the helpline before census day and a further 85,000 calls after it. Graham Jones, Director of the Census said, "We are appealing to the media to help us answer the most common enquiries to take some of the pressure off the helpline. The same questions keep coming up. The public are responding quite remarkably in their quest to get the census form right". We have been working with community groups to provide them with material to help people to complete their form or they can pass on enquiries to local census staff. The most frequent enquiry is from people who have yet to receive their form and are seeking advice about what they should do. Other common queries are from students (who want to know where to complete the form), retired people (who want advice on the section of the form that refers to employment) and people with second homes. (Common questions and answers attached). The Office for National Statistics is working with Cable and Wireless who operate the helpline to meet the demand. The number of telephone lines is being increased by 450 to over 800 lines and the number of helpline operators is also being increased and will reach 100 today (Tuesday) and 190 later this week. The system has been amended to try and answer as many common queries as possible with recorded information. If people need assistance and they cannot contact the helpline they can speak to the enumerator who calls at their home or visit the Census website at www.statistics.gov.uk. In addition, information packs have been sent to organisations such as the Citizens Advice Bureaux, Age Concern, ethnic or religious organisations to help them deal with enquiries from the public. Three thousand national and regional organisations have been contacted about the census and many more have been contacted by local census managers seeking support for the census. Graham Jones said, "We want to reassure people. Census forms are still being delivered. Census forms do not have to be back on 29 April. You can complete and return the form after that date. The helpline will stay open after census day throughout May. Tony Chorley, Census Account Manager, at Cable and Wireless the company that runs the census helpline said, "This level of response is unprecedented for a government campaign. The helpline is now taking an huge volume of calls daily, a significant 432W proportion of which are quite complex and taking some time to resolve. We are increasing the number of helpline operators and significantly extending the system to meet demand. Most Commonly Asked Questions I don't have a form yet Don't worry. Forms are still being delivered—they will be delivered throughout this week. What if I am away on census day? You should complete your form as soon as you can and post it back to us in the pre-paid envelope supplied with your form. (This year the census wants to record you at your usual place of residence). Can I sign the form on behalf of someone else? Yes, if you've helped someone complete the form or completed the form on their behalf you can sign the form. Retired people asking whether we really need to know about the former occupations If you are under 75 then you should complete the questions about education and employment (questions 16–35)/ If you are over 75 it is not compulsory to complete these questions (although you can do if you wish). Where should students complete the form—at college or at home? Students should complete the form at their term time address. They should be included in Table 1 and answer questions 1–6 only on the form or their home address. 2nd homes—what do I do? Fill in the full form at your usual address. The form for your second home will arrive at that property. If you are there, or on your next visit, you should only complete questions H1-H5 in the section entitled "Household Accommodation" on page 3 and sign the declaration on the front of the form. No further questions need to be answered. Please return the form in the pre-paid envelope. Or, if someone is staying in your property (but it is not their usual residence) then they should complete Table 2 and questions H1-H5 on the section entitled "Household Accommodation" on page 3, sign the declaration on page 1 and return the form in the pre-paid envelope.