Is the Census authoritarian, costly and uneccessary?

Yesterday in the Commons Public Administration Select Committee, we questioned the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) about the Census.  Whilst I have great respect for UKSA - particularly its independence from Government - I do have issues with the national Census.

It is somewhat authoritarian to compel every householder in the UK to fill it out, to make them divulge their personal details and to threaten us with fines - or even imprisonment - if we don't comply.  Moreover it is wrong to make veiled threats - as certain adverts did - that if the census is not filled out, areas of the country, might not get their public spending allocation.  This is patently not the case.

There is also the question as whether a costly and compulsory census is necessary. The Coalition Government have said that this census will most probably be the last.  If that is the case, why was it necessary to have a census this time around?  In other work done by UKSA, they do sample surveys with much smaller numbers of people.  Why is it not possible to do this instead of the nation-wide census?

I filled in my Census because I have to obey the law, but I felt uncomfortable about divulging so many details to the machinery of the state.  I suspect many others did as well.  The cost of the Census to the taxpayer is huge - money that could be otherwise spent on vital services.

The minutes of the Commons Committee will be published soon and I will put them on my blog.
 
by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com