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The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.Letter from Jil Matheson, dated December 2009:"As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent questions regarding the 2011 Census. I have grouped together the responses to those questions where there are common themes.""i) What the minimum duration of stay is that will require an individual to register as an overnight guest, including name, sex and date of birth in the 2011 Census; whether overnight guests who are children will be required to register; whether guests at a house party will be required to register; and what personal liability householders will have should overnight guests refuse to disclose personal information. 302427""ii) Whether hotels and bed and breakfast establishments will be required to register their overnight guests, including information on name, sex and date of birth, for the 2011 Census. 302454""iii) How many pages long were the (a) individual and (b) household forms in each of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for the (i) 1991 Census and (ii) 2001 Census; and what the estimated page length is for each of those in the 2011 Census based on the (A) Census Rehearsal and (B) subsequent planning. 302428""iv) What the estimated error rate is for the 2011 Census exercise in relation to the questions on the number of bedrooms; and whether the information on the number of bedrooms will be cross-referenced with any other dataset separate from the 2011 Census. 302429""v) How much and what proportion of the budget for the 2011 Census had (a) been spent, (b) been allocated for expenditure and (b) not been allocated on the latest date for which figures are available. 302281""vi) What assessment she has made of the reasons for the difference between the cost of the 2011 Census and the cost of the 2001 Census. 302283""vii) What the cost to the public purse was of the (a) 1991 Census and (b) 2001 Census in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms in 2009 prices. 302489""i,ii)As in all previous censuses (but with the exception of 2001) in addition to recording information for all usual residents at an address on census night, householders are required to record the details of any non-resident persons present on census night, including children and house party guests if they stay overnight. In these previous censuses the same set of information as collected from usual residents has been required from such visitors; for 2011, however, only the limited set of four questions will be asked to reduce the burden.""The minimum duration of stay that will require an individual to be recorded as a visitor is the night of Sunday 27 March 2011.""Subject to Parliamentary approval of the secondary legislation for the 2011 Census, the householder is legally liable to ensure that a complete return is made in respect of every resident and visitor present on census night. However, it would be an offence for anyone present in a household on census night to refuse to provide the relevant information to the householder.""Managers of hotels, bed and breakfast establishments, and guest houses that can only accommodate fewer than ten guests are required to record the visitor information for overnight guests. However, managers of such premises that can accommodate ten or more guests are required only to record the number of any visitors staying overnight. No details of such visitors will be recorded. (302427, 302454)""iii) The household form for the 2011 Census in England and Wales will comprise four pages of questions relating to the household itself, four pages of questions for each household member with space for up to six household members, and an additional page available to record some information about visitors. The form also contains three pages of notes and instructions to assist the form filler, amounting to 32 pages in total.""The form is thus the same length as used in the Census Rehearsal, and is 12 pages more than the 2001 form. While the inclusion of some of additional questions has lengthened the form, a more significant factor in its increased size is its redesign in order to:""accommodate an additional household member so as to reduce the number of continuation forms required for larger households; and""make it easier to complete, specifically by introducing two columns of questions per page instead of the three adopted in 2001 and an additional page of notes and instructions.""The 1991 household form comprised 12 pages but was in a completely different matrix format and printed in a smaller font.""The individual person form for 2011 contains four pages of questions plus three pages of notes and instructions, compared with three and a half pages of questions and half a page of notes in both the 2001 and 1991 Censuses.""The census is a devolved matter in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but I understand from the respective Registrars General that the intention is that the 2011 Census questionnaires there should be of a similar length, except that, because of the smaller average household size the household form in Scotland will accommodate only five household members.(302428)""iv) In a postal test including a random sample of 10,000 households in Spring 2009 the question on number of bedrooms was completed by 98.1 per cent of respondents. Testing of the question with individual respondents has not raised any significant quality concerns about their ability or willingness to complete this question accurately.""Data at the individual household record level will not be disclosed or cross-referenced with any other data sources.""Statistics from the question on bedrooms will be used by the Department for Communities and Local Government as a measure of overcrowding to support the measurement of one of its strategic objectives "to improve the supply, environmental performance and quality of housing that is more responsive to the needs of individuals, communities and the economy".""There are two standards previously used to inform whether or not a home is statutorily overcrowded, the 'space standard' and the 'room standard', Government amendments to the 2004 Housing Act provide for the standards to be amended to include a 'bedroom standard'. Its use in helping to measure the number of people living in overcrowded accommodation is set out in the 2007 CLG Action Plan Tackling overcrowding in England, which can be found at""http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/Overcrowdinqactionplan""(302429)""v,vi,vii) As published in December 2008 in the Government's White Paper Helping to shape tomorrow, the total estimated budget for the 2011 Census is £482 million, of which £450 million has already been agreed, and £32 million is still subject to future spending reviews.""All of the budget that is already agreed has been allocated, with around 20 per cent already spent and a further 50 per cent committed to fixed price contracts.""The cost of the 2011 Census has been analysed in the full business case referred to above. The difference between this and the cost of the 2001 Census is mainly due to:""inflation""growth in population and the number of households""the development of a comprehensive national address register""the development of a questionnaire tracking system""the inclusion of an additional page of questions per person""the development of an online questionnaire completion system""more intensive follow-up in areas with low initial response""The total costs of the 1991 and 2001 Censuses were £117 million and £207 million respectively. To create costs for the 1991 and 2001 Censuses that are comparable to the 2011 Census it is necessary to take into account:""the growth in the population""general inflation""wage inflation for field staff salary costs""Taking these factors into account, equivalent comparators to the 2011 Census cost of £482m are estimated to be £305m for the 1991 Census and £350m for the 2001 Census. (302281, 302283, 302489)" |