Also for keeping a couple of Civil Servants in work for a week or two..

What he said.

60million people, so say 30million hoseholds/surveys.

Say it takes 10min to upload each survey @ £45/hour (inc office rent, suppourt staff, ICT etc) thats ~ £10 a survay so £300million. Add on 2 lots of postage (£3*30,000,000=£9million), printing (30million?), advertising (10’s of millions isn’t unfeasible with a few primetime slots?) and 500million suddenly doesn’t go very far.

I haven’t appeared on a census since 1981 😆

I did it last year (as part of the pilot scheme). Wasn’t the hardest work I’ve ever done, but did involve going around the doors and gently “persuading” people they should fill it in. Of course, the pilot wasn’t legally binding the same way, so we didn’t have a legislative stick to beat them with.

Actually, in true New labour/Tory (same difference) style they’ve outsourced it to a large American arms manufacturer

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2008/0828_lmuk-2011-census.html

I know if i was doing a population census then my first port of call would be a company that made pretty damn good surface-to-air missiles

🙄

Also under the American Patriot Act are apparently obliged to share any information they possess with the US government. So watch what you say! 🙂

I’m predicting it’ll be the next big ‘website launch which can’t cope with the demand’

Doubtfull really. The survey forms will mostly be scanned and each one will be read within 1 or 2 seconds depending on the question format.

It can also be completed online, but yes – the scanning is pretty quick.

Actually, in true Tory style they’ve outsourced it to a large American arms manufacturer

Also under the American Patriot Act are apparently obliged to share any information they possess with the US government. So watch what you say!

Drivel… Lockheed Martin are providing the computer system not collecting the data – none of the data goes anywhere near them… So all the information you give will be safe in the hands of your own government…

If it’s their policy it’s: ‘oh well we had to do this, ‘cos of Labour messing everything up’
If it’s not their policy: it’s ‘oh well this was Labour’s idea that we had to carry on with’
Related to this??

A contract was put in place 3 years ago, during which time systems and procedures have been developed. Do you really think that an incoming government could reverse that, at zero cost, and still meet the 2011 census date?

I guess I should really butt out of this thread as I actually know something about this and it’ll spoil all the hysteria and misinformation if I’m here to correct it 😉

Not particularly but maybe a little. The Tories cancelled the EMA and broke existing contracts with Capita – meaning they have to pay massive penalties negating almost all of the supposed savings. So they don’t always stick with existing Labour arrangements.

Blaming Thatcher for what? I certainly blame her for being a massive ****. I also blame the Labour party for largely following her policies.

druidh – because you had a temp job going round knocking on doors you are now an expert on the census? 😛

Charming. Statements like that don’t exactly help your credibility.

Ah, so during 13 years in government there was nothing Labour could do because it was Thatchers policies that brought the nation to the brink of bankruptcy?

And you’re asking when the Tories (sorry, coalition) will take responsibility after less than a year in Government? Sorry but that smacks of hypocrisy, or are you being deliberately ironic?

[Sorry for potentially derailing the thread OP, not my intention]

Since when did a lack of knowledge get in the way of people posting teh factz on here? 😉

I blame Cromwell…

seeing as cameroon and co were happy to cancel plenty of other labour projects im sure they could cancel this one if they wanted to
it surely wouldnt lead to the kind of -ve headlines the navy cancellations have had etc