§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many questions were asked in the census on the last three occasions in 1951, 1961 and 1971.
§ Sir George YoungSeparately numbered questions in the 1951, 1961 and 1971 censuses in England totalled respectively 18, 25 and 29, but some of the separately numbered questions were divided into two or more parts and the questions had explanatory notes of different degrees of length and complication. In each of these censuses there was an extra question in Wales.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many and which Departments utilise the information or any part of it contained in the census; and whether the Inland Revenue has access to any information contained in individual census forms other than aggregated detail.
§ Sir George YoungIt is unlikely that there is any major Government Department that does not make use of the statistical results of the census.
The Census Office will not pass any information about identified persons or households to the Inland Revenue or to any other body or person outside the census organisation.
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§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Social Services for how many years census forms are retained; and what space is required to accommodate all the returns made.
§ Sir George YoungThe decennial census forms or copies of them are retained indefinitely; except that the 1931 census forms were destroyed by fire early in the war. The forms for 1881 to 1971 occupy some 70,000 linear feet of shelving at secure but low-cost storage centres. Microfilm copies of the forms for the earlier decennial censuses—that is before 1881—may be viewed by the public at the Public Record Office. The forms for the 1966 sample census have been destroyed.