Memorandum from Jil Matheson, National
Statistician
INQUIRY INTO
OFFICIAL STATISTICS:
2011 CENSUS QUESTIONS
During the recent Public Administration Select
Committee hearing on the proposed Census questions, we promised
to provide additional information for the Committee.
1. The non white population of Camden recorded
in the 2001 Census was 27%.
2. The proportion of homes in England and
Wales with no central heating recorded in the 2001 Census was
8%.
I would also like to take the opportunity to
comment on something that Professor Phil Rees told the Committee.
He suggested that only 60% of the whole matrix of Census data
actually depends on people who have put some mark on the piece
of paper. This is not the case. The correct figure is that 90%
of the 2001 data is based on information supplied by respondents.
6% of people did not return a questionnaire and 4% of data items
in returned forms were missing. I understand that Professor Rees
has written to the clerk of the Committee to clarify his remarks
which he has acknowledged gave a false impression.
December 2009
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