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Census

Answer

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:"As the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking, pursuant to the Answer to the Rt. Hon. Member for Horsham of 1 March 2010, Official Report, column 987W, on Census, what the quantified discounted benefit is of the additional questions contained in the 2011 Census, (323568); and pursuant to the Answer to the Rt. Hon. Member for Horsham of 1 March 2010, Official Report, column 987W on Census, what the quantified discounted benefit was of the (a) 1991 and (b) 2011 Census exercises in real terms, adjusting for inflation and population growth. (323569)""The quantified discounted benefit has only been calculated for the 2011 Census programme as a whole, specific figures for the net increase of 6 individual questions per person (with no increase in household questions), have not been calculated in financial terms. However, the uses of each question have been extensively explored and well documented. Reports into the development and the uses of the questions for the 2011 Census are available to download on the ONS website.""http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/2011-census-questionnaire-content/question-and-content-recommendations-for-2011/index.html""As explained in the previous answer referred to in your question, the quantified discounted benefit for the 2011 Census has been estimated to be circa £750 million, however these benefits only relate to an estimated half of the uses of census data of which ONS is aware and so this figure is considered to be a very significant under-estimate.""This is the first time that quantified, discounted benefits have been calculated for a census therefore no figures exist for the 1991 or 2001 Censuses."

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

508 c508-9W; 323569

Session

2009-10

Subjects

Census

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk