Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he for the future of the UK Census; and if he will make a statement.

The Government recognises the value of the census but I have long said that it is outdated in its current form and could be more effectively and more cheaply delivered. Decisions about its future will be announced in the usual way, but the Government agrees with the conclusion of the Public Affairs Select Committee that the census needs to change.