Census (Amendment) Act 2000
Encyclopedia
The Census Act 2000 (2000 c. 24) was an Act of Parliament
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It gained Royal Assent
on the 28th July 2000.
It amended the Census Act 1920
to permit questions to be asked in the census about religion, but provided that no person was to be subject to a penalty for refusing or neglecting to provide details in response to such a question. The amendment was made in preparation for the 2001 UK census
, which was the first census in Great Britain to ask about religion since the 1920 Census Act.
The Census (Amendment) Act 2000 extended only to England and Wales
. In Scotland the same amendments were made by the Census (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2000, which received Royal Assent on 10 April 2000. The same amendments were not required in Northern Ireland since the Census Act (Northern Ireland) 1969
already allowed questions about religion.
This Act should not be confused with the Census (Amendment) Order 2000, which was a related amendment to the Census Order 2000. The Census (Amendment) Order, made on 13 Dec 2000 (England and Wales), specified a single question to be asked about religion on the 2001 UK census. That amendment was made possible by the Census (Amendment) Act 2000.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It gained Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
on the 28th July 2000.
It amended the Census Act 1920
Census Act 1920
The Census Act 1920 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Providing for a census for Great Britain , on a date to be fixed by Order in Council, it remains the primary legislation for the provision of the UK census in England, Scotland, and Wales...
to permit questions to be asked in the census about religion, but provided that no person was to be subject to a penalty for refusing or neglecting to provide details in response to such a question. The amendment was made in preparation for the 2001 UK census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, which was the first census in Great Britain to ask about religion since the 1920 Census Act.
The Census (Amendment) Act 2000 extended only to England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
. In Scotland the same amendments were made by the Census (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2000, which received Royal Assent on 10 April 2000. The same amendments were not required in Northern Ireland since the Census Act (Northern Ireland) 1969
Census Act (Northern Ireland) 1969
The Census Act 1969 was an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, passed 24 June 1969. It enabled ministers to order a census of population in Northern Ireland at intervals of five years or more. The Act shares similarities with the Census Act 1920 which provides for censuses in England,...
already allowed questions about religion.
This Act should not be confused with the Census (Amendment) Order 2000, which was a related amendment to the Census Order 2000. The Census (Amendment) Order, made on 13 Dec 2000 (England and Wales), specified a single question to be asked about religion on the 2001 UK census. That amendment was made possible by the Census (Amendment) Act 2000.