UK Address Register: Underpins 2011 Census
The UK Statistics Authority has published a report number 28 titled: Special Assessment of the 2011 Censuses in the UK: Phase 1 (Office for National Statistics, the General Register Office for Scotland, and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) (32 pages)
The report states:
“1.2 Summary of strengths and weaknesses
1.2.6 ONS and NISRA are currently developing address lists for the postal delivery of census questionnaires to the majority of households in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Relying on these lists carries an inherent risk due to ongoing problems with missing and duplicate addresses. The development of robust contingency plans should be a priority.”
“3.25 A key part of the “post-out, post-back” methodology is the development of an accurate and complete address list. In its 2007 report on the 2011 Census, the Statistics Commission identified several risks associated with this methodology. ONS is working with Royal Mail, Ordnance Survey and local authorities to develop an address list for use in the 2011 Census. Checks on the accuracy and completeness of the list were carried out in 2007 and in preparation for the 2009 Rehearsal. These checks showed there are ongoing problems with the list in terms of both missing and duplicate addresses. The resolution of some of these problems is compounded by the nature of the ownership of the component lists. The Assessment team understands that there are no plans to maintain the ONS address list after the Census (see Protocol 3 for further discussion). The address list NISRA plans to use (POINTER) is being developed by a consortium including Land and Property Services (incorporating Ordnance Survey NI), Royal Mail and local authorities. NISRA has been involved throughout the development of POINTER via the Census Address Register (CAR) Group, which it chairs. Address checks will be carried out by census enumerators in their Enumeration Districts in the weeks preceding census day to validate the CAR. We suggest that ONS and NISRA publish a note which details how they will mitigate the impact of the risks associated with post-out, post-back methodology.”
“3.53 Despite the high cost of developing the address list for England and Wales and its undoubted usefulness to a wide range of organisations, the Assessment team understands that the UK Government has no plans to maintain the list after the Census. We suggest ONS publish the reasons why it will not maintain the address list, and explain why ONS itself is not able to make its list available to other organisations.”
“Suggestion 9 Publish the reasons why the address list will not be maintained and explain why ONS itself is not able to make its list available to other organisations (para 3.53)”
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