Can The Office For National Statistics Be Trusted With The 2011 Census?

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

SIKH FEDERATION (UK)

PRESS RELEASE

Sunday 31 January 2010

CAN THE OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS BE TRUSTED WITH THE 2011 CENSUS?

1. The Sikh Federation (UK) will be releasing a report on Monday 1 February 2010 following research it commissioned on the selection of new ethnic groups for the Census 2011.

2. The investigative report provides evidence to show how the option of an ‘Arab’ category has been incorrectly favoured compared to other categories, including a ‘Sikh’ category.

3. The authors of the report allege a pre-determined outcome to include an ‘Arab’ category without sufficient evidence to support this conclusion.

4. The report emphasises a Sikh category has been overlooked despite Sikhs constituting one of very few legally recognised ethnic groups.

5. Parliament will in mid-February vote on the Regulation to approve the Census 2011 and in effect put a seal on the draft questionnaire.

6. The report proves the methodology used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) ignored the views of hundreds of Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum supporting the Sikh community in their demand and paid lip service to its own public consultation on the issue that showed considerable support for a separate Sikh category.

7. Evidence is also presented in the report that shows ONS omitted vital information, misinterpreted other information it had available and did not fully consider other relevant evidence to arrive at accurate conclusions.

8. The Sikh Federation (UK) is calling on MPs and ONS to consider the findings and recommendations in the report relating to each aspect of the ONS methodology to select ethnic groups for the 2011 Census questionnaire and for ONS to urgently revisit its overall assessment in light of the report.

9. In the Federation’s opinion the report proposes the ONS gives the ‘Sikh’ category priority over the proposed ‘Arab’ category for the Census 2011 questionnaire.

10. The report suggests major flaws in the process to select ethnic groups for the 2011 Census questionnaire and raises wider issues of trust and the need for improved governance at ONS.

11. The Federation has also shared the report with lawyers to consider possible legal action. There is also talk of a call for a possible postponement in the 2011 Census; until trust in the process is restored, otherwise the information produced will not be a true reflection of British society or fit for purpose. The latter would also save tens of millions of pounds during the economic downturn.

Gurjeet Singh

National Press Secretary

Note 1: The report will be released on Monday 1 February 2010. A copy can be obtained by emailing: info@sikhfederation.com

Note 2: The Sikh Channel will have a Special Live programme at 7.30pm (UK time) on Monday 1 February. Please listen and find out what you can do.

[Southall Youth]

I have a feeling India has a hand in this ? Is there any credibility to my theory ?If we get recognised in the census it would be a great step forward and would be a HUGE development in terms of being recognised as a 'vakri qoum/nasal'.As big as Mandla V Lee case - what are our chances in getting the arab thing removed and replaced by Sikh ?If we do not get recognised or we get a NO we should threaten the UK Govt - by telling them we WILL have no choice but to work against the current UK Govt to remove them from power in the upcomming elections -

[Matheen]

I have a feeling India has a hand in this ? Is there any credibility to my theory ?

I doubt it. I think it's more to do with the definition of Sikhs. On one hand, we are recognised as an ethnic group, but on the other there are a large number of Sikhs from other races, which calls into question whether or not Sikhs can really be counted as an ethnic group (though Jews are, so it's not black & white). Other religious groups would probably claim that Sikhs are getting special treatment.

My feeling is that the law recognises us as an ethnic group to protect us from discrimination based on our kakkars and dastar because racial discrimination has far more legislation behind it than religious discrmination. In fact, at the time there was no law against religious discrimination.

One thing is for sure - our 'leaders' in the UK have taken the number of Punjabi speakers in the UK (over 600000) and assumed that all are Sikh. Over half are likely to be Muslims from Pakistan. In that way, recognition in the Census may harm rather than help our cause.

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

SIKH FEDERATION (UK)

PRESS RELEASE

Sunday 31 January 2010

CAN THE OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS BE TRUSTED WITH THE 2011 CENSUS?

1. The Sikh Federation (UK) will be releasing a report on Monday 1 February 2010 following research it commissioned on the selection of new ethnic groups for the Census 2011.

2. The investigative report provides evidence to show how the option of an ‘Arab’ category has been incorrectly favoured compared to other categories, including a ‘Sikh’ category.

3. The authors of the report allege a pre-determined outcome to include an ‘Arab’ category without sufficient evidence to support this conclusion.

4. The report emphasises a Sikh category has been overlooked despite Sikhs constituting one of very few legally recognised ethnic groups.

5. Parliament will in mid-February vote on the Regulation to approve the Census 2011 and in effect put a seal on the draft questionnaire.

6. The report proves the methodology used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) ignored the views of hundreds of Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum supporting the Sikh community in their demand and paid lip service to its own public consultation on the issue that showed considerable support for a separate Sikh category.

7. Evidence is also presented in the report that shows ONS omitted vital information, misinterpreted other information it had available and did not fully consider other relevant evidence to arrive at accurate conclusions.

8. The Sikh Federation (UK) is calling on MPs and ONS to consider the findings and recommendations in the report relating to each aspect of the ONS methodology to select ethnic groups for the 2011 Census questionnaire and for ONS to urgently revisit its overall assessment in light of the report.

9. In the Federation’s opinion the report proposes the ONS gives the ‘Sikh’ category priority over the proposed ‘Arab’ category for the Census 2011 questionnaire.

10. The report suggests major flaws in the process to select ethnic groups for the 2011 Census questionnaire and raises wider issues of trust and the need for improved governance at ONS.

11. The Federation has also shared the report with lawyers to consider possible legal action. There is also talk of a call for a possible postponement in the 2011 Census; until trust in the process is restored, otherwise the information produced will not be a true reflection of British society or fit for purpose. The latter would also save tens of millions of pounds during the economic downturn.

Gurjeet Singh

National Press Secretary

Note 1: The report will be released on Monday 1 February 2010. A copy can be obtained by emailing: info@sikhfederation.com

Note 2: The Sikh Channel will have a Special Live programme at 7.30pm (UK time) on Monday 1 February. Please listen and find out what you can do.

The report can now be downloaded from the Sikh Federation (UK) web site

www.sikhfederation.com

[Nirvair S Khalsa]

Also see reminder in the following topic: http://www.sikhsanga...live-programme/

All Sikhs (especially in the UK) should watch the live programme to be aired on The Sikh Channel (Sky 840) tonight at 7.30pm (UK Time). The special report for the UK Census 2011 has now been released and is available on

www.SikhFederation.com for download. It will be discussed during the special live programme on The Sikh Channel tonight.

SPECIAL LIVE REPORT ON 2011 CENSUS

The Sikh Channel

Sky 840

7.30pm

This is a reminder further to the following Press Release by the Sikh Federation (UK) in the topic

SIKH FEDERATION (UK)

PRESS RELEASE

Sunday 31 January 2010

CAN THE OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS BE TRUSTED WITH THE 2011 CENSUS?

1. The Sikh Federation (UK) will be releasing a report on Monday 1 February 2010 following research it commissioned on the selection of new ethnic groups for the Census 2011.

2. The investigative report provides evidence to show how the option of an 'Arab' category has been incorrectly favoured compared to other categories, including a 'Sikh' category.

3. The authors of the report allege a pre-determined outcome to include an 'Arab' category without sufficient evidence to support this conclusion.

4. The report emphasises a Sikh category has been overlooked despite Sikhs constituting one of very few legally recognised ethnic groups.

5. Parliament will in mid-February vote on the Regulation to approve the Census 2011 and in effect put a seal on the draft questionnaire.

6. The report proves the methodology used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) ignored the views of hundreds of Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum supporting the Sikh community in their demand and paid lip service to its own public consultation on the issue that showed considerable support for a separate Sikh category.

7. Evidence is also presented in the report that shows ONS omitted vital information, misinterpreted other information it had available and did not fully consider other relevant evidence to arrive at accurate conclusions.

8. The Sikh Federation (UK) is calling on MPs and ONS to consider the findings and recommendations in the report relating to each aspect of the ONS methodology to select ethnic groups for the 2011 Census questionnaire and for ONS to urgently revisit its overall assessment in light of the report.

9. In the Federation's opinion the report proposes the ONS gives the 'Sikh' category priority over the proposed 'Arab' category for the Census 2011 questionnaire.

10. The report suggests major flaws in the process to select ethnic groups for the 2011 Census questionnaire and raises wider issues of trust and the need for improved governance at ONS.

11. The Federation has also shared the report with lawyers to consider possible legal action. There is also talk of a call for a possible postponement in the 2011 Census; until trust in the process is restored, otherwise the information produced will not be a true reflection of British society or fit for purpose. The latter would also save tens of millions of pounds during the economic downturn.

Gurjeet Singh

National Press Secretary

Note 1: The report will be released on Monday 1 February 2010. A copy can be obtained by emailing: info@sikhfederation.com

Note 2: The Sikh Channel will have a Special Live programme at 7.30pm (UK time) on Monday 1 February. Please listen and find out what you can do.

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

The Independent

February 2, 2010

Census 2011: 'Heavy metal's not music. It's a religion'

By Jerome Taylor, Religious Affairs Correspondent

As next year's census nears, head-bangers are among the groups demanding special recognition

The preparation for next year's census is in full swing, but the jostling and politicking about who and what will be counted in the population survey is already causing serious headaches.

This time next year, every adult in England and Wales will receive a questionnaire for what is expected to be the longest and most detailed census ever conducted.

Costing £500m, it will paint a precise portrait of who and what makes up our nation - which is why a litany of special interest groups, from the serious to the absurd, are agitating for their vision of what the form should look like and which questions should be asked.

Sikh groups, for instance, want to be recognised as an individual race and not just a religion. And at the sillier end of the spectrum, heavy metal enthusiasts have begun an online campaign to get their head-banging music genre recognised as a religion. For analysts at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), meeting everyone's aspirations will be all but impossible.

A population census has been carried out in Great Britain every 10 years since 1801, except for 1941, during the Second World War. As the cultural and ethnic make-up of the country changed, so did the questions. Following devolution, separate surveys were carried out in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In 1991, citizens in England and Wales were asked for the first time to describe their ethnic origin, with 16 options including a catch-all "other" box for those whose races were not included. Ten years later, respondents were asked their religious affiliation. But not everyone is happy with the way race has been categorised. People of Middle Eastern, Latin American or South-east Asian origin, for instance, have to tick the "other" box.

This week, the Sikh Federation will urge the ONS to include Sikhs as an individual race, after their community won a High Court battle in the 1980s to be officially recognised as a race under British law.

Jagtar Singh, a federation member, said the request was more than just a point of principle. "Information taken from the census is used by 40,000 government bodies to work out where resources should go and how they can be allocated," he said. "If Sikhs are missed off in 2011 we will have to wait yet another decade, perhaps longer, before we are properly recognised."

The ONS has said that because of financial constraints it will only be adding two ethnicity boxes to the census. It has yet to state what these will be but a test questionnaire three years ago included the terms "Arab" and "Irish traveller/ gypsy", suggesting that Sikhs may miss out this time around.

Mr Singh said: "We want Sikhs to be included for positive reasons but the Government looks set to collect data or Arabs and travellers to keep a closer eye on them."

Opposition MPs believe the census will be too expensive and intrusive. The shadow Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, said last week: "How can a cost of £500m, which is double the cost of the last census, be justified at this time of fiscal crisis?"

The Government hit back, saying a detailed census enabled future administrations to allocate money more efficiently, adding £700m to the economy. Others will no doubt use the census to cause mischief. In 2001, an online campaign launched by Star Wars fans encouraged people to list their religion as "Jedi" so that it had to be officially recognised. Parliament quickly changed the law - but not before 390,000 "Jedi" adherents signed up.

This year, social networking sites could throw another spanner in the works at the ONS. A Facebook group asking for heavy metal to be made a religion has attracted 14,000 members in two weeks. "It's not meant to offend anyone. It's just a bit of fun," said Alexander Milas, editor of Metal Hammer magazine. "But then again, maybe we are trying to make a point."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/census-2011-heavy-metals-not-music-its-a-religion-1886350.html