FOI Reference: FOI/2021/3019
You asked
- How many visits by Census Field Officers were recorded as Hard Refusals?
- How many of these Hard Refusals were followed up by an Enforcement Team?
- How many people agreed to complete the Census after a visit by the Enforcement Team and how many still refused?
- How many people have been prosecuted or have prosecutions pending for refusing to complete the Census?
- How many people have been convicted for refusing to complete the Census?
- What is the minimum fine, average fine and maximum fine which has been imposed for refusal to complete the Census?
- How many people were sentenced to the minimum fine and how many to the maximum fine?
- How many people were convicted of refusing to complete the Census but did not have to pay a fine? What was their penalty instead?
We said
Thank you for your request.
The information you have requested in questions 1 to 3 will be published in our census report (planned for late 2023), similar to that following the 2011 Census. Therefore, this information is considered exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, whereby information is exempt from release if there is a view to publish the information in the future.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. Whilst we appreciate the desirability of having information available promptly, we do not see any arguments for releasing this information prior to the publication date of our census report. Furthermore, we value the public interest in withholding Census enforcement information until the appropriate time, so as to ensure that our processes can be undertaken without risk of being prejudiced. The successful implementation of our enforcement process is in the public interest and early release of this information runs the possibility of undermining this ongoing process. Therefore, the weight of the public interest falls in favour of withholding this information until the publication date of the census report.
The information requested in Questions 4 to 8 is not currently held, as the enforcement process is still ongoing.