Traditional census form 'has had its day'

The Committee concludes that the methodology for estimating local populations between each census is not fit for purpose because the statistics fail to take proper account of internal migration. As a result, local authority funding is based on inadequate information. The newly established Statistics Authority should devise a more accurate method to reflect the local population and the effects of internal migration.

Other conclusions and recommendations from the Report include:

• Concerns are rasied about the use of the International Passenger Survey in estimating international migration. A new survey is required to provide a more accurate measurement of international movements.
• The development of computerised administrative records in the UK requires the Government to put in place strong ethical safeguards to protect personal information.
• The Government and the Statistics Authority need to push ahead with the production of the national address register to underpin the accuracy of the 2011 Census.
• The traditional census has had its day. The Statistics Authority needs to set out a strategic objective to ensure that the data gathered throughout the UK can be used to produce annual population statistics that are of a quality that will enable the 2011 Census to be the last census in the UK where the population is counted through census forms.

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