Written question asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Crawley (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 March 2010 on behalf of the UK Statistics Authority.

Census

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation has taken place with the Scottish Executive on the 2011 census; and whether they were asked for their views on including a question on Scottish Standard English.

Answer: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply. Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Lord Foulkes, dated March 2010. As Director General for the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what consultation has taken place with the Scottish Executive on the 2011 Census; and whether they were asked for their views on including a question on Scottish Standard English. (HL2594) The census in Scotland is a devolved matter. There have been frequent discussions between the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the General Register Office Scotland on preparations for the 2011 censuses across the UK, but there has not been any discussion or consultation about Scottish Standard English.

Secondary information