THE deadline for Scots to fill in the census has been informally extended, following the passing of the already extended deadline yesterday.
The website for completing the census now informs users: “You can still avoid a possible fine - complete by 12 June.”
Each household in Scotland is legally obligated to complete the census, and not doing so can result in a £1000 fine.
The deadline had already been extended by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) until the end of May, from the original May 1 deadline, due to a lack of responses, and additional Scottish Government funding had been provided.
Decisions on public services and how much funding they receive are taken based on census data, with the survey taking place every 10 years.
Responding to a question during today’s First Minister’s Questions on whether the census had been a “credible exercise,” Nicola Sturgeon responded that it was.
She said: “The NRS are confident that the national return rate and the coverage across the country, coupled with the planned post-collection quality control and assurance work, will provide credible, high-quality outputs.
“Of course we will review experience and ensure that any lessons required to be learned, are learned.
“But it is also the case that there is normal planned work that always follows the census, which is about the assurance of the credibility of the exercise and NRS are now focused on that planned post-collection quality control and assurance work.
“That includes the census coverage survey which is the second-largest social research exercise in Scotland after the census itself.”
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