HC Deb 26 March 1980 vol 981 c603W
53. Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the proposals to include questions on "ethnic minorities" on the next United Kingdom census have been dropped.

Sir George Young

Because tests and consultations have shown that it is not practicable to devise questions which would give reliable results and at the same time secure the wide measure of acceptability which is needed in a census.