29 April 2001: Census Day

10th January 2000

Proposals for the first census of the new millennium were announced today by Deputy First Minister, Jim Wallace.

The Census of Population in Scotland, which will take place on 29 April 2001, will:

ask new questions on carers, general health and the last year of employment;
ask extended questions on the workplace, travel to work arrangements, ethnicity and relationships;
not ask questions on religion or personal income.

Mr Wallace said:

"This will be a landmark census - the first to be carried out under the Scottish Parliament and the first in the new millennium. We have taken decisions on which questions to include and which questions to leave out following extensive consultation.

"The census will provide us with a wealth of statistical information which will help shape the policies of the Scottish Executive for years to come."

Full details of the proposals were given by Mr Wallace in response to a Parliamentary Question from Scott Barrie MSP (Dunfermline West). He said: "Our proposals for the Census in Scotland on 29 April 2001 are contained in the draft Census (Scotland) Order 2000 which I have laid before the House today.

"In deciding which topics to cover we have consulted widely, and taken full account of Scottish circumstances, the UK Government's proposals made in March in the White Paper (Cm 4253), and all representations made to us since the May elections. The draft Order balances the cases made for specific topics by Census users against the public acceptability of the questions, whether or not they can be asked in a way that gives reliable information, and alternative methods of collecting information.

"In addition to the questions asked in the 1991 Census, we propose to ask new questions on carers, general health and the year of last employment. Other questions will be extended - for example the question on workplace and means of travel to work will not just cover those working but will also cover students and schoolchildren for their place of study. The question on ethnicity will be extended to cover mixed ethnic groups. The question on relationships within households will collect additional information beyond the relationship to the head of household which allows more detailed family and household classifications to be used in Census results.

"A number of cases for questions have been rejected after careful consideration. We concluded that there is not a sufficiently strong case in Scotland to collect information on religion through the Census to supplement the proposed question on ethnic group. Nevertheless, we are alive to concerns expressed about religious discrimination. That is why in developing our Equality Strategy we will work to foster tolerance and promote understanding of religious beliefs and practices. As part of the wider research and information strategy on equality and social inclusion we will undertake further work such as sample surveys to provide better information about minority cultural sub-groups. In taking that forward we will consult with the Commission for Racial Equality, the Scottish Inter Faith Council and others.

"We have also decided not to propose a question on personal income. Despite strong support for the question from a number of users, we have concluded that the inclusion of an income question would mean that the risk to the overall response to the Census was unacceptably high. There is also doubt about the quality of the information that could be collected. Recognising the strength of support for this topic we intend to pursue further the availability of DSS benefit data for small areas and other ways of producing estimates of income by area.

"The proposals for the 2001 Census laid before the Parliament today will provide a wealth of priority statistical information on Scotland, local and health authorities, and local communities which will underpin the development and monitoring of policies by the Scottish Parliament and other bodies in the new millennium."

Printable copy of The Census (Scotland) Order 2000 (Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format)
The draft Census (Scotland) Order 2000 is reproduced under the terms of Crown Copyright Policy Guidance issued by the Queen's Printer for Scotland.

Copy of the Executive Note (an aid to readers of the Order).