Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps with the Office for National Statistics to ensure that questions on the armed forces are better included in the next national census.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) this week published their current view on the topics proposed for inclusion in the 2021 Census; this includes a specific report outlining their view on information on Armed Forces. This current position follows a public consultation seeking evidence on the information needs for the 2021 Census which generated nearly 1,100 responses

ONS recognise that "there is a clear need for information on the armed forces community" but currently considers that it would be better to make use of existing administrative data than ask a question of all 26 million households in England and Wales in 2021. ONS will be working with the Ministry of Defence and other relevant agencies across government to consider a range of options to best meet the user need.