§ Mr. Calcum MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration is being given to extending throughout the United Kingdom in the 2001 census the questions on Gaelic previously asked in Scotland in earlier censuses. [38310]
§ Mr. SackvilleI have been asked to reply.
The case for including questions in the 2001 census will be considered in 1998 on grounds of usefulness and acceptability to the public. Consultations with major users of census data are already underway. The Government's proposals will be published in a White Paper and the final selection will be subject to parliamentary approval. Far more questions are proposed than can be included. The burden on the public needs to be kept to a minimum.