§ The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (John Healey)A report on the 2001 census key statistics for wards in England and Wales is being laid before Parliament today. Copies in electronic media are available in the Libraries of the House and from the Office for National Statistics. 5WS The report provides a compact and self-contained reference, providing key results covering a wide range of census topics. Figures for the 8,875 wards and electoral divisions in England and Wales, presented generally as percentage distributions, can be readily compared with those for other areas and with the national average. The report, in the form of a CD-ROM, is a supplement to the 2001 census report on key statistics for local authorities in England and Wales, laid before the House on 13 February, but which, for technical reasons, could not be released at that time.
The report comprises a set of 24 tables covering all the 8,005 wards in England and the 870 electoral divisions in Wales, as well as comparable national figures for England and Wales. 6WS A similar range of statistics for census output areas, prepared under section 4(2) of the Census Act, is also being made publicly available today. Output areas are the smallest geographical area level for which detailed census information is produced. They are areas that typically comprise around 125 households, and have a minimum population threshold of 100 persons and 40 resident households, below which key statistics may not be released.
These key statistics for wards and output areas will also be freely available on the National Statistics website through the Neighbourhood Statistics Service from today.