Office for National Statistics

The complainant has requested a census return from the 1951 Census for a particular address. The Office of National Statistics (ONS), an executive office of the Statistics Board has relied on sections 44(2), 22(2) and 40(5) to refuse to confirm or deny whether it held a census return for that address. The Commissioner’s decision is that the Statistics Board, and the ONS, was entitled to refuse to confirm or deny whether it held the information requested under sections 44(2) and 22(2). However when refusing the request the public authority failed to advise the applicant of its internal review procedure or the applicant’s right to complain to the Commissioner. This is a breach of section 17(7).