§ Mr. BrazierTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether a validation survey will be carried out in relation to the Northern Ireland census on similar lines to the validation survey planned for the Great Britain census; and whether the same confidentiality rules will apply.
§ Mr. HanleyYes. In line with the plans for Great Britain, a voluntary validation survey on the Northern Ireland census will be carried out to check both the accuracy of the information and the completeness of coverage. Information gathered in the survey will be treated in the same strict confidence as information given on the census form itself. The confidentiality of information collected in the survey will be covered by the Census Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 as amended by the Census Confidentiality (Northern Ireland) Order 1991. The results of the survey will be laid before Parliament and published as soon as possible after the census.