Census non-returns . Prosecutions

Bob Willis made this Freedom of Information request to Office for National Statistics

The request was successful.

From: Bob Willis

3 March 2010

Dear Office for National Statistics,

Can you please tell me how prosecutions have taken place within in
the UK in the last 20 years of people who have
refused to complete and return national census returns.

Can you also please tell me how many of these prosecutions resulted
in a 'guilty' verdict.

Yours faithfully,

Bob Willis

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From: Rosemary Taylor
Office for National Statistics

3 March 2010

FOI Team.

Please can you advise and respond to this FOI request.

Many thanks.

Rosemary Taylor
Customer Advisor| Cynghorydd Cwsmeriaid
Customer Intelligence | Cudd-wybodaeth Cwsmeriaid
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Communication Division | Is-adran Gyfathrebu
Dear Office for National Statistics,

Can you please tell me how prosecutions have taken place within in
the UK in the last 20 years of people who have
refused to complete and return national census returns.

Can you also please tell me how many of these prosecutions resulted
in a 'guilty' verdict.

Yours faithfully,

Bob Willis

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From: Paul Wearn
Office for National Statistics

16 March 2010

Dear Mr Willis,

Please can you clarify whether you wish to know 'how prosecutions have
taken place ' or 'how many prosecutions' within the UK in the last 20
years.

Thanks in advance

Regards,

Paul Wearn
Legal Services
Office for National Statistics

Dear Office for National Statistics,

Can you please tell me how prosecutions have taken place within in the UK
in the last 20 years of people who have refused to complete and return
national census returns.

Can you also please tell me how many of these prosecutions resulted in a
'guilty' verdict.

Yours faithfully,

Bob Willis

For the latest data on the economy and society consult National Statistics at http://www.ons.gov.uk

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Legal Disclaimer : Any views expressed by the sender of this message are not necessarily those of the Office for National Statistics
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From: Bob Willis

22 March 2010

Dear Paul Wearn,

I wish to know how many prosecutions have taken place.

Yours sincerely,

Bob Willis

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From: Paul Wearn
Office for National Statistics

30 March 2010

Our Reference: FOI00930/Willis/QE1

Dear Mr Willis,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request dated 4 March 2010 asking
how many prosecutions have taken place within the UK in the last 20 years
of people who have refused to complete and return national census returns
and how many of these resulted in a guilty verdict. am writing to confirm
that the Office for National Statistics has now completed its search for
the information which you requested and a copy of the information is
enclosed.

The ONS can only answer in respect of England and Wales. For information
about prosecutions in Northern Ireland, a request should be made to the
Northern Ireland Statistics Research Agency, McAuley House, 2-14 Castle
Street, Belfast, BT1 1SA. For information about prosecutions in Scotland a
request should be made to the General Register Office Scotland, Ladywell
House, Ladywell Road, Edinburgh, EH12 7TF

1991 Census England and Wales
There were 354 prosecutions of which 342 were recorded as being successful.
Our records from this time do not refer specifically to whether or not a
person was found ‘guilty’.

2001 Census England and Wales
There were 39 prosecutions of which 38 resulted in a guilty verdict.

More information is available in the published ‘1991 Census General Report’
and the ‘2001 Census General Report’.

The 2001 Census General Report is available on the website:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/...

The 2001 Census non-compliance evaluation executive summary is available on
the website at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/...

You have the right to have this response to your freedom of information
request reviewed internally by an internal review process and, if you
remain unhappy with the decision, by the Information Commissioner. If you
would like to have the decision reviewed please write to Frank Nolan,
Office for National Statistics, Room 1127, Government Buildings, Cardiff
Road, Newport, Gwent, NP10 8XG.

If you have any queries about this email, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Regards,

Paul Wearn LLB (Hons)
Legal Services
Office for National Statistics
For the latest data on the economy and society consult National Statistics at http://www.ons.gov.uk

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Legal Disclaimer : Any views expressed by the sender of this message are not necessarily those of the Office for National Statistics
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David Hansen left an annotation (13 April 2010)

In http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/... the census criminals report

"Details of 6 per cent of the 1,500 or so fully reported incidents of refusal were passed on to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Solicitors for consideration of legal action. A further 4,600 or so incidences of alleged refusal were reported but documentary evidence was insufficient to support prosecution."

From all this effort in the report the census criminals report 37 successful prosecutions.

They call this a "success". I would like to see what these criminals call a failure.

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