HL Deb 14 October 1997 vol 582 cc138-9WA
Lord Teviot

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When the public including local and family history researchers, will be able to consult the census returns of 1911, 1921, 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981, and 1991; and whether they plan to review the prescription of closure periods of the census returns; and

Whether they intend to destroy the original census material presently held by the Registrar General; and, if the decision is taken to microfilm the original records, whether the originals will nevertheless be retained and preserved.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter to Lord Teviot from the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics, Dr. Tim Holt, dated 12 August 1997.

I have been asked to reply, as Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent questions concerning viewing census returns and microfilming original records.

The census returns for the years 1911, 1921, 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1991 are subject to the provisions of the Lord Chancellor's Instrument No. 12 of 1966, made under Section 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958. They are closed from public inspection for a period of 100 years. The Economic Secretary to the Treasury has recently considered the case for the early release of census records for the purposes of genealogical research, but is of the opinion that, whilst it is recognised that the release of such information would be of both historical interest and commercial value to researchers, the maintenance of public confidence in the census is paramount. It would be unwise to amend retrospectively the period of closure as the credibility of assurances about recent and future censuses would be affected if the Government is seen to be departing from previous assurances.

No decision on the microfilming of the census returns currently in the custody of the Registrar General or on the permanent retention and preservation of the original records has yet been made.