§ Mr. John TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the financial consequences of establishing a new(a) 80 and (b) 90-year closure period for decennial population census records for Northern Ireland. [160429]
754W
§ Mr. PearsonNo assessment has been made of the financial consequences of an 80 or 90-year closure period for decennial censuses. Censuses in 1901 and 1911 were conducted on an all-Ireland basis. These records are available in the National Archives, Dublin. The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland has microfilm of the 1901 census and intends to obtain the same for 1911. For the 1926 and later censuses conducted in Northern Ireland, the Census Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 stipulates that it is an offence to disclose personal census information without lawful authority. Officials consider that at an appropriate time the Government should consider introducing legislation to prescribe a closure period for Northern Ireland census records that is in line with the rest of the United Kingdom, where a 100-year closure period pertains.