§ Mr. Ian Lloydasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) on what grounds he has authorised the inclusion in the forthcoming national census of questions relating to the income of respondents;
(2) what further information will be obtained from an analysis of the answers to questions on income in the forthcoming national census beyond that available to Her Majesty's Government from income tax returns, Pay As You Earn records and other comprehensive information available to the Department of Employment and Productivity and his Department.
§ Mr. CrossmanThe Government have not yet decided on the proposals they will make for the 1971 Census but questions on income have been included in voluntary Census tests in order to obtain evidence on which to base the decision.
A question on income in the Census would provide data on household incomes, which are not available from other sources, and on incomes below the level at which tax is payable. And it would make possible the calculation of income distribution for areas different from those on which the existing records are based.