Census Act 1920
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1920 c. 41 |
| Year | 1920 |
Census Act, 1920.
(10 & 11 Geo. 5.) CHAPTER 41.
An Act to make provision for the taking from time to time of a Census for Great Britain or any area therein and for otherwise obtaining Statistical Information with respect to the Population of Great Britain.
[16th August 1920]
Be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
1 Power to direct taking of census.
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, it shall be lawful for His Majesty by Order in Council from time to time to direct that a census shall be taken for Great Britain, or for any part of Great Britain, and any Order under this section may prescribe—
(a ) the date on which the census is to be taken; and
(b ) the persons by whom and with respect to whom the returns for the purpose of the census are to be made; and
(c ) the particulars to be stated in the returns:
Provided that—
(i) an Order shall not be made under this section so as to require a census to be taken in any part of Great Britain in any year unless at the commencement of that year at least five years have elapsed since the commencement of the year in which a census was last taken in that part of Great Britain; and
(ii) no particulars shall be required to be stated other than particulars with respect to such matters as are mentioned in the Schedule to this Act.
(2) Before any Order in Council is made under this section, a draft thereof shall be laid before each House of Parliament for a period of not less than twenty days on which that House has sat, and, if either House before the expiration of that period presents an address to His Majesty against the draft or any part thereof, no further proceedings shall be taken thereon, but without prejudice to the making of a new draft Order: Provided that, if by part of any such Order it is proposed to prescribe any particulars with respect to any of the matters mentioned in paragraph six of the Schedule to this Act, that part of the Order shall not have effect unless both Houses by resolution approve that part of the draft, or, if any modifications in that part are agreed to by both Houses, except as so modified.
(3) Any Order in Council made under this section may be revoked, amended or varied by a subsequent Order.
2 Duty of Registrar-General to carry out census, and provision for expenses.
(1) It shall be the duty of the Registrar-General to make such arrangements and do all such things as are necessary for the taking of a census in accordance with the provisions of this Act and of any Order in Council or regulations made thereunder, and for that purpose to make arrangements for the preparation and issue of the necessary forms and instructions and for the collection of the forms when filled up.
(2) The Registrar-General in the exercise of his powers and in the performance of his duties under this Act or under any Order in Council or regulations made thereunder, shall be subject to the control of, and comply with any directions given by, the Minister of Health.
(3) Any expenses incurred with the sanction of the Treasury by the Minister of Health or the Registrar-General in connection with the taking of a census or otherwise in connection with the exercise of his powers or the performance of his duties under this Act shall be defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament.
3 Regulations with respect to proceedings for taking census.
(1) For the purpose of enabling any Order in Council directing a census to be taken to be carried into effect, the Minister of Health may make regulations—
(a ) providing for the division of the country into districts for the purpose of the census and the appointment of persons to act in those districts in connection with the census;
(b ) requiring superintendent registrars, registrars, overseers and assistant overseers of the poor, relieving officers for poor law unions, collectors of the poor rate, and such other persons as may be employed for the purpose of the census, to perform such duties in connection with the taking of the census as may be prescribed;
(c ) requiring persons employed for the purpose of the census to make a statutory declaration with respect to the performance of their duties, and authorising any superintendent registrar or registrar to take such a declaration;
(d ) requiring the chief officers of public or charitable institutions, or of any other institutions prescribed by the regulations, to make returns with respect to the inmates thereof;
(e ) requiring information to be given to the persons liable to make returns by the persons with respect to whom the returns are to be made;
(f ) with respect to the forms to be used in the taking of a census:
(g ) making provision with respect to any other matters with respect to which it is necessary to make provision for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of the Order in Council.
(2) Every regulation made under this section shall be laid before both Houses of Parliament as soon as may be after it is made, and, if an address is presented to His Majesty by either House within the next subsequent twenty days on which that House has sat next after any such regulation is laid before it praying that the regulation may be annulled, His Majesty in Council may annul the regulation, and it shall thenceforth be void, but without prejudice to the validity of anything done thereunder.
4 Preparation of reports and abstracts.
(1) The Registrar-General shall, as soon as may be after the taking of a census, prepare reports on the census returns, and every such report shall be printed and laid before both Houses of Parliament.
(2) The...
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