§ Lord Newallasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they propose to hold a census in Great Britain in 1991.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Security (Lord Skelmersdale)My right honourable friend the then Secretary of State for Social Services announced on 14th July 1983 in another place [Official Report, Vol. 45, col. 425] that planning would proceed on the basis that the next census would be in 1991. The need for information on the population and alternative ways to gather it were subsequently examined and it has been concluded that a census should be held in England, Wales and Scotland in 1991. The Registrars General have arranged for there to be consultations about the census with a wide range of users of census statistics, and submissions to them from any source are welcome.
Proposals for the content of the census will be published as a White Paper next year.