Census Day

Baroness Coussins Excerpts

Monday 7th March 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

My Lords, the Government share my noble friend’s concerns. There are areas of the country where returns are low, and those are the very areas where accurate information can often assist government decisions on resource allocation. I should remind the House that £100 billion-worth of resource allocation depends on the sort of information that the census provides. The advertising campaign is therefore constructed to that end. The organisers have been working in partnership with local authorities to plan and prioritise engagement, and advertising with voluntary groups, organisations and community leaders to promote the census.

[Baroness Coussins]

My Lords, have the Government identified what interpretation and translation services they need to complete the census, and how have the relevant specialists been recruited?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

A large number of specialists have been recruited and translations of the questions and information leaflets will be available in 56 languages. There will also be drop-in centres located in local communities to assist in completing the forms where that will be of help. Community leaders are being encouraged to become involved in helping to complete the forms.