Sign the petition re 1911 census

[stanmapstone]

On the Householder's Schedule for the 1911 Census is the statement:
"The contents of the Schedule will be treated as confidential . Strict care will be taken that no information is disclosed with regard to individual persons. The returns are not to be used for proof of age, as in connection with Old Age Pensions, or for any other purpose than the preparation of Statistical Tables"
In view of this, and the fact that there are people still alive who are enumerated in the census, the 100 year rule should apply. 
Stan

[acceber]

Yes, but Guy has successfully challenged this?

acceber

[smeghead]

The people who are still alive from the 1911 census will be 96 and older I am sure any information about them on the 1911 census could be of no use to anyone accept these people's families and Family historians   US!  There is more information on the internet about people who are a lot younger eg I can go to 192.com and get my address and previous address's and who lived with me in the household . Find my mothers maiden name from birth records on ancestry and much more so why should people in there Nineties be kept from us ??


Jim

[stanmapstone]

Yes, but Guy has successfully challenged this?

acceber

As I understand it the information that can be disclosed is for a specific address, and personally sensitive information will not be supplied.
Stan

[stanmapstone]

This is what the Information Commissioner actually said:
“The Commissioner stresses that this Decision must be confined to the circumstances relating to the information requested in this case. This is not - and cannot be - a decision that the entirety of the 1911 census must now be disclosed. Nor does it create any precedent in the sense that all other requests for specific information within the 1911 or other census schedules must succeed. The Information Commissioner has used the Decision Notice to provide more general guidance about situations where section 41 of the Act may apply in this context. Each request for 1911 census information will need to be treated separately on its merits.”

Stan

[acceber]

Yes but the 'personal information' which is not being released is the final column on wether a person is deaf, dumb, blind etc.

It will be specific addresses until the NA launch their online service http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/1911census/ - it looks like that will be a surname searchable database.

At the bottom of that page under a heading about the 1921 census it states Unlike the 1911 census the 1921 census was conducted under the 1920 Census Act, which is still in force and which contains a statutory prohibition on disclosure. This means that if any FOI requests are received by ONS for the 1921 census, the exemption found in S44 of the FOI Act will be invoked to maintain census confidentiality - therefore the 1911 census is not bound by the 1921 census act and therefore does not have to be closed for 100 years.

acceber

[Guy Etchells]

This is what the Information Commissioner actually said:
“The Commissioner stresses that this Decision must be confined to the circumstances relating to the information requested in this case. This is not - and cannot be - a decision that the entirety of the 1911 census must now be disclosed. Nor does it create any precedent in the sense that all other requests for specific information within the 1911 or other census schedules must succeed. The Information Commissioner has used the Decision Notice to provide more general guidance about situations where section 41 of the Act may apply in this context. Each request for 1911 census information will need to be treated separately on its merits.”

Stan

Stan you are reading too much into what was said.
Decision Reference FS50101391

I specifically asked for information about one address, not the entire census. The information commission could only investigate the circumstances of one address and not the issue of the entire census as he is bound to investigate the particular appeal not questions of his own choice.

The address on my application did not have any sensitive information on it therefore it could not be used to enforce or block the supply of information about another address which contained sensitive information.

The IC also noted that before blocking any request it would have to be judged on its merits bearing in mind that for information to be witheld on grounds of breach of confidence the National Archives would have to be sure that any claim would be bound to be won. See sections 24-27 page 6 of the decision notice.

The National Archives admitted to the Information Commissioner -
"...of their intention to release the entirety of the 1911 census schedules in 2012, in accordance with the non-statutory '100 year rule' which was adopted to reflect the undertaking of confidentiality."

The word non-statutory is an admission that the National Archives have no legal authority to refuse to comply with the law of the land which requires all records other than certain exempt records to be released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Nothing and no-one is above the law and the National Archives have a duty to comply with the law not invent rules to flout the law.
Cheers
Guy

[stanmapstone]

Yes and the 1939 National Registration was not a census and is not therefore covered by the 1920 Census Act.
It should by rights be available now, but we shall see.
Cheers
Guy

Interestingly, I understand that the information taken on September 29th, 1939, is what is used by the GRO's TRACELINE, who will (for a fee) undertake to search for a relative (must be a relative by birth or marriage). If that person was alive on that day in 1939, Traceline will undertake to look for  them either living still, or if they are deceased they will provide the date and place of death. As a data protected office, they never disclose the whereabouts of the person being sought but, if their criteria can be met, they can offer a letter forwarding service.
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/research/traceline/index.asp
Stan

[Bill749]

Incidentally the Identity Card system was discontinued due to abuses of the system by the police.
Perhaps we should heed the warnings from history.

I've still got my identity card - do you think the government will let me use it when they bring them back - I don't see why I should have to pay the predicted price to obtain a card that I don't want - if they are compulsory they should be free!!

 

Bill