Census could ask about sexuality

Everyone in Britain could be asked to reveal whether they are straight, gay or bisexual in the next Census, it emerged today.

Statistics chiefs are considering a move to include a question about sexuality in the Government survey to be taken in 2011.

The information, given in confidence, would be used to assess future needs for housing, healthcare and school places. But such a move would be likely to spark complaints that the Government was prying into the private lives of individuals.

The sexuality question was included in a list of possible Census questions published by the Office for National Statistics today.

Completing a Census form is a legal requirement, although most controversial questions, such as those about religion, are optional.

Officials cautioned that the Census was "not seen currently" as the best way to collect the information, because too many people might lie or refuse to answer. As an alternative,

the sexuality question might be added to one of the Government's smaller annual household surveys.

In Scotland, which has its own Census, officials have ordered research into the possibility of asking about sexual orientation. If the question is asked in the Scottish 2011 Census, England and Wales could follow a decade later.

The English 2011 Census is already set to ask about civil partnerships, the formal legal agreements between gay partners, which are due to come into force this year.

The next Census is also likely to include a question about earnings for the first time. All respondents would be required to state the size of their income, and its source.

The consultation paper said: "Work will be undertaken to establish whether an appropriate question can be developed to gather this information in an accurate, meaningful and publicly acceptable way."

Other topics for possible inclusion include secondhome ownership, nationality, citizenship and, for migrants, the year they entered the UK.

Statisticians are also trying to identify questions to leave out, following complaints that the 2001 was too complicated.

The last Census, which cost ?200 million, provoked fury when inner-city areas saw their official headcounts slashed. Critics claimed a huge section of the population had been missed. At the last Census, in April 2001, the UK population stood at 58,789,194.