§ 37. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in view of the deep concern felt by many people at the intricate and complicated census form now being circulated, he will publish in the Official Report his reasons for requiring so many details, many of them of an intimate character.
§ Sir George YoungThe census topics and the form itself are as authorised by Parliament under the Census Act 1920, the Census Order 1980—SI 1980 (702)—and the Census Regulation 1980—SI 1980 (897). The census order was debated in the House on 29 April 1980.—[Vol. 983 c. 1301–37.] The 1981 census form is simpler than the forms used in all other censuses since the Second World War. It omits a number of questions that had been proposed by the previous Administration in their White Paper "1981 Census of Population", Cmnd. 7146.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what he estimates will be the cost of conducting the census and collating the material contained in the answers.
§ Sir George YoungThe total cost of conducting and collating the 1981 census of population, which is spread over the years 1977–78 to 1985–86, is estimated to be about £50 million at November 1980 prices.
§ Mr. Harold Walkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons are being employed on a temporary basis to assist in carrying out the national census; and how many of these are persons who would otherwise be unemployed.
§ Sir George YoungThe temporary field force, comprising the enumerators and those who supervise them, numbers 112,000. Of these, approximately 70,000 were out of work when recruited, of whom some 40,000 were registered unemployed persons.
To process the information at the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, some 2,000 temporary civil servants will be needed full time.