§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what procedure was used by the General Registrar's Office to determine geographical distribution of those missed by the census.
§ Mr. Stewart[holding answer 17 February 1993]: It is estimated that a total of 89,000 people resident in Scotland, or 1.7 per cent. of the population, were not enumerated in the 1991 census. Census figures are not themselves adjusted. However, the estimated under-enumeration has been taken into account in producing the Registrar General's provisional population estimates for Scotland for mid-1991.
The geographical distribution of this under-enumeration was based on comparisons with various administrative sources, most important of which were birth registrations and the national health service central register. In general, the evidence pointed to larger shortfalls in the cities and other urban areas than in rural areas. In preparing the provisional estimates, a relatively simple weighting system was used to take this into account.