Mr. John M. TaylorTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the hon. Members to whom, since 1 October 1998, his Department or the Office for National 589W Statistics have provided information about restrictions on public access to the census returns for 1921, 1951 and 1961, indicating what information was provided. [81565]
§ Ms HewittResponses to several hon. Members have been given since 1 October 1998 on matters relating to the restricted access to closed census returns in England and Wales, only two of which were in response to inquiries referring specifically to censuses for the period since 1911. In each case the response given set out the Government's view that, whilst they recognise the sociological value of historical census records, it considers that the strict confidentiality assurances given about present and future censuses would be seriously compromised if it were seen to be departing from the assurances given about censuses in the past.
590W
Gross running costs limits 1999–2000 £000 Gross expenditure Allowable receipts Gross running costs limit Department for Education and Employment1 1,082,444 –40,034 1,042,410 financed by the Windfall Tax 177,699 –15,000 162,699 Office of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in England 34,550 –324 34,226 Department of Health 283,164 –3,224 279,940 Office of Water Services 11,591 0 11,591 Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions 657,832 –8,637 649,195 Health and Safety Executive 172,375 –2,477 169,898 Office of Passenger Franchising 12,809 –232 12,577 Office of the Rail Regulator 9,277 –377 8,900 Charity Commission 20,449 –470 19,979 Home Office 2,220,050 –83,658 2,136,392 Crown Prosecution Service 228,474 –849 227,625 Serious Fraud Office 11,834 –610 11,224 Lord Chancellor's Department 516,109 –19,292 496,817 Public Record Office 26,842 0 26,842 Northern Ireland Court Service 30,566 –606 29,960 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 551,941 –19,973 531,968 Department for International Development 66,016 –176 65,840 Office of Electricity Regulation 18,100 0 18,100 Office of Gas Supply 12,938 0 12,938 Office of Telecommunications 11,903 –242 11,661 Office of Fair Trading 24,288 –104 24,184 Department of Trade and Industry 391,634 –18,028 373,606 The Intervention Board 69,757 –3,663 66,094 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 366,275 –5,845 360,430 Department for Culture, Media and Sport 33,506 –534 32,972 Department of Social Security1 2,893,475 –24,740 2,868,735 financed by the Windfall Tax 6,952 0 6,952 Office Secretary of State for Scotland and Advocate General 2,400 0 2,400 Office of Secretary of State for Wales 2,030 0 2,030 Northern Ireland Office 194,548 –1,025 193,523 Office for National Statistics 115,788 –13,580 102,208 Customs and Excise 798,207 –6,092 792,115 Friendly Societies Registry 2,430 –30 2,400 Inland Revenue 2,234,396 –93,907 2,140,489 National Savings Department 179,041 –4,505 174,536 National Investment and Loans Office 1,562 –130 1,432 HM Treasury 59,203 –2,238 56,965 Security and Intelligence Services 410,613 –30,546 380,067 Cabinet Office 144,736 –34,840 109,896 Privy Council Office 2,544 –42 2,502 Total for gross running costs areas 14,090,348 –436,030 13,654,318 Northern Ireland departments1.2 626,287 –37,886 588,401 financed by the Windfall Tax 9,622 0 9,622 1Includes all departmental running costs expenditure other than that financed by the Windfall Tax. 2The Department of Finance and Personnel control the running costs of the Northern Ireland Departments. The figures shown here are the plans which will apply until the Northern Ireland Assembly assumes responsibility for public expenditure. In the White Paper on the 2001 Census, published on 4 March, the Government confirmed that they have no plans to revise legislation relating to the period of closure of census returns.