This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the second reading in the House of Lords of the Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [HL] on 13 May 2019.
Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (177 KB , PDF)
The Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [HL] is a three-clause government bill that provides for questions on sexual orientation and gender identity to be included in censuses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It also provides that completion of these questions should, in effect, be voluntary. The bill was introduced in the House of Lords on 1 May 2019. It is due to have its second reading on 13 May 2019.
The next UK census is expected to take place in March 2021. The census is a devolved matter, but the relevant bodies from each region of the UK work closely together in preparing the census. For example, they intend to hold the census on the same date, and have committed to using the same topics and questions whenever possible. As the Welsh Assembly has not amended the main relevant legislation, the Census Act 1920, the first clause of the bill applies to both England and Wales. However, the Welsh Assembly must be consulted before further legislation to enable the 2021 census is made. The second clause applies to Northern Ireland in the absence of an executive and sitting Assembly. Separate legislation is currently going through the Scottish Parliament.
The UK Statistics Authority and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) carried out an extensive consultation before recommending changes to the census. This resulted in new questions in three areas: sexual orientation, gender identity and past service in the armed forces. The first two of these are the subject of this bill. The ONS also recommended excluding some questions previously asked, and changing some response options for continuing questions.
The new questions on sexual orientation and gender identity are designed to meet a need for better quality information on these subjects. In particular, the data will help in developing policy, planning public services—for example, health services— and helping public authorities to meet their obligations under the Equality Act 2010. The questions will only be asked of people aged 16 or over. There will be no penalties for not completing these questions, making them in effect voluntary. Penalties exist for not completing the remainder of the census, apart from a question on religion introduced in 2001.
Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (177 KB , PDF)
Public services productivity in the UK fell sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic and is yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. The Conservative government pledged new investment in an attempt to boost the effectiveness of public services prior to the general election. The new Labour government has also placed emphasis on this issue and has indicated further measures will be set out in the forthcoming budget statement.
The Labour government has set out its short- and long-term plans to reduce the pressure on prison capacity in England and Wales. This includes releasing eligible prisoners on licence into the community after they have served 40% of their sentence and building more prisons. Organisations have highlighted the risk of prison overcrowding on prisoner wellbeing. Some charities have called for better mental health support for prisoners whilst in custody and on release.
A recent paper about UK foreign policy called for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to “modernise the working environment to set a future oriented culture”. It described the FCDO’s physical surroundings as “somewhat elitist and rooted in the past”. This briefing looks back at Lords Hansard to chart the House’s response to more radical plans in the 1960s that proposed a new foreign office building, which later formed part of a wider scheme for the redevelopment of Whitehall.
