You asked
What is the cost of posting all the letters about the census (and forms) to all households in Britain?
Which company is chosen to deliver?
Why was the company chosen (please provide evidence)?
We said
Thank you for your request. Please see the following answers to your questions.
Postal costs:
What is the cost of posting all the letters about the census (and forms) to all households in Britain?
Total maximum postage costs: £27.8m.
However, please note that final costs will not be known until after the Census operation is finished and may be significantly lower than this figure.
This covers all postage costs related to the census including the cost of postage related to receiving paper questionnaires back.
Which company is chosen to deliver?
Information about the suppliers involved in Census can be found via the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/censustransformationprogramme/2021censussuppliers
Why was the company chosen (please provide evidence):
Contracts were awarded through open, fair and transparent competitions in line with Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Cost and quality was evaluated, and suppliers were awarded a contract on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender.
Printing costs:
Cost of printing:
Total maximum print/production costs: £14.4m
Print costs cover all printed materials including letters (initial contact and reminders), questionnaires, leaflets, postcards, ID badges, on request content.
Printing company:
Information about the suppliers involved in Census can be found via the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/censustransformationprogramme/2021censussuppliers
Why was the company chosen (please provide evidence):
Contracts were awarded through open, fair and transparent competitions in line with Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Cost and quality was evaluated, and suppliers were awarded a contract on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender.
Storage costs:
Cost of storing (hard-copies and servers) - Which company stores it?
This information is exempt from disclosure under section 31(1) (a) of the FOI Act. Section 31 (1) (a) exempts information if its disclosure is likely to prejudice the prevention or detection of crime. Release of this information would make the supplier more vulnerable to crime. The crime in question here would be a malicious attack on the computer systems. As such release of this information would be seen to prejudice the prevention or detection of crime by making the computer systems more vulnerable to hacking therefore facilitating the possibility of a criminal offence being carried out.
Why was the company chosen (please provide evidence):
Contracts were awarded through open, fair and transparent competitions in line with Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Cost and quality was evaluated, and suppliers were awarded a contract on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender.
Other questions:
Cost of following up people who didn't take the form:
Multiple contracts are used to follow up people who did not complete the census including letters and field force. We do not hold an aggregated figure for the cost of this process, as this spans multiple areas and the following-up process is not yet complete.
How many people get fined?
As a result of non-completion of the 2011 Census form the Crown Prosecution Service took 286 cases to Court. 270 of these cases resulted in guilty convictions. Of these 4 received the maximum fine of £1,000, the amount imposed in other cases varied with the average fine amounting to £217.99.
Please see the following link to a previously answered FOI request, which provides the information you have requested: http://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/noncomplianceproceduresrelatingtothe2011census
Why were there letters telling people it is coming?
It would be impossible to carry out a census without the co-operation of the public. Every household and each resident in a communal establishment in England and Wales is obliged by law to make a census return. ONS delivered a communications campaign to encourage householders to complete their questionnaire. This ensured that they knew when and how to do so and explains the purpose and value of the census, and gives reassurance about confidentiality and data security.
The goals of the census publicity campaign are to make the public aware of the census and why it is important, to motivate them to take part, and to give them access to all the available support, so removing barriers to completion.
For further information about this, please see the following link to the published Census White Paper, specifically sections 4.59 and 4.60.
Cost of internet, roadside and radio adverts, which company used to advertise these, and why was the company chosen (please provide evidence)?
This information is considered exempt under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000, as disclosure would prejudice the commercial interests of ONS and the supplier used for these advertising services.
The use of this exemption is subject to the public interest test.
Whilst we recognise arguments in favour of transparency and accountability regarding information pertaining to government public spending, we also value the public interest in our own capability to negotiate and to compete in a commercial environment.
Disclosure of the requested information would jeopardise our ability to negotiate future contracts and procurements at an advantageous price for us, which would be in the public interest as this will help to preserve public funds.
Additionally, it is also in the public interest for public authorities to be able to maintain the trust and confidence of the suppliers with which we work. Disclosure of the cost of these adverts would negatively impact a third party's ability to generate higher levels of income in the future, as their ability to experience open and fair competition for their advertising services would be compromised. This would therefore render this supplier and other companies unwilling to work with us in the future. We would therefore have a reduced pool of suppliers with which we could negotiate. This damage to our reputation therefore directly and negatively impacts our commercial interests.
Therefore, the public interest in withholding this information outweighs the benefit of release.