FOI Ref: FOI/2023/4834
You asked
Please provide marriage data by ethnicity. In particular for "black", would you be able to let me know the proportion of Africa and African/Caribbean?
We said
Thank you for your enquiry,
On 22 February 2023, we will be releasing data from the 2021 Census called "Marriage and civil partnership status, England and Wales: Census 2021".
This release will include the most up to date information that we hold on this topic will include ethnic group by legal partnership status. There will be a wide range of ethnic group categories including three in which you have expressed an interest:
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: African
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: Other Black
- Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: Caribbean
As such, information for 2021 is exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, whereby information is exempt from release if there is a view to publish the information in the future. Furthermore, as a central government department and producer of official statistics, we need to have the freedom to be able to determine our own publication timetables. This is to allow us to deal with the necessary preparation, administration and context of publications. It would be unreasonable to consider disclosure when to do so would undermine our functions.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. We recognise the desirability of information being freely available and this is considered by ONS when publication schedules are set in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The need for timely data must be balanced against the practicalities of applying statistical skill and judgement to produce the high quality, assured data needed to inform decision-making. If this balance is incorrectly applied, then we run the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate data which is arguably not in the public interest. This will have an impact on public trust in official statistics in a time when accuracy of official statistics is more important to the public than ever before.
Please keep an eye on our release calendar for this publication: Marriage and civil partnership status, England and Wales: Census 2021.