You asked
Please could you inform me of the predicted cost of the rehearsal for the 2021 census.
We said
The Office for National Statistics does not have a separate, predicted cost for the 2019 Rehearsal for the 2021 Census. The rehearsal is one component of the Census and Data Collection Transformation Programme and the Digital Transformation Programme. These programmes are about more than just the census - we're investing in new technology and modernising the way we collect data to provide improved and more detailed population statistics. Elements of the 2019 Rehearsal are part of this wider programme of work, such as our relationships with suppliers and the detailed measures we are designing specifically for the census operation (including the 2019 Rehearsal and the census itself) that will ensure that the collection, processing and transmission of data, whether online or on paper, is safe and secure. Suppliers, who were appointed by the ONS in good time to enable them to deliver the 2019 Rehearsal, will learn from the 2019 Rehearsal to better prepare for the delivery of the live operation in 2021. Some of the main components that are being delivered with external partners are: recruitment, pay and training of the ONS field force staff, management of the paper questionnaires (print/post out/capture/coding), provision of a public-facing contact centre and marketing and communications.
A provision of around £900 million has been made for these programmes for the period 2015-2026. The aim of these programmes is to modernise the whole official statistical system beyond the census and we have already reaped wider dividends; for example, new technology that allows businesses to complete our surveys more easily and more quickly online, enabling us to provide more timely information and analyses. We are renewing our technology infrastructure through the development of common digital platforms to support transformation across the whole of the ONS, and the Census and Data Collection Transformation Programme is ensuring that our research into administrative data will transform our population and migration statistics, including census, so that they reflect the needs of a modern society.
Chapter 9 of the Government's White Paper: "Help Shape Our Future: The 2021 Census of Population and Housing in England and Wales" sets out the costs and benefits of the Census and Data Collection Transformation Programme, and digital transformation. It is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-2021-census-of-population-and-housing-in-england-and-wales