Censuses could be phased out

Monday 8th January 2007, 12:00AM GMT.

JERSEY could in theory do without holding censuses in future, according to the head of the States Statistics Unit.

Duncan Millard is confident that current population estimates are so accurate that the need for the Islandwide headcount is debatable. The next scheduled census will take place in 2011 after the States agreed to cancel one planned for last year and they are now due to be held every ten years, in line with the UK. But while it is highly likely the 2011 count will go ahead, Mr Millard says that from a statistical, rather than a political, point of view, it might be feasible to scrap them altogether after that.

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