§ Mr. John Mooreasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, further to his Written Answer, Official Report, 23rd November, column 757, what consideration is being given to allowing voluntary as opposed to compulsory participation in the anticipated 1981 census.
§ Mr. EnnalsThe Government believe that a census of population must be compulsory. The Registrar General has told 527W me that in his voluntary surveys, including voluntary census tests, some two or three persons out of 10 approached do not reply. A census with such a coverage would not meet its purposes: to measure accurately the number and condition of the people in quite small areas and to provide a yardstick for the allocation of resources—for example to local authorities. Careful consideration is given to whether some kinds of information can be collected satisfactorily through voluntary surveys which may or may not be linked to the census.