Census bedroom "snooping" opposed by Tories
27/10/2009
By Michael Ewing
New propositions for the government for the next census are an invasion of privacy, according to the Conservative Party.
The opposition has taken particular umbrage at the idea of so-called "bedroom snooping" - the new practice in the 2011 census which will ask for details of the number of bedrooms in a person''s house, as well as the age of those sleeping in them and the number of overnight visitors to each homestead.
Ministers, however, believe all questions in the survey will be in the public''s interest.
Shadow cabinet office minister Nick Hurd, however, said: "An increasingly invasive and intrusive census will erode public support, cost more and result in a less accurate survey.
"These ''bedroom snoopers'' are yet another sign of how the Labour government has no respect for the privacy of law-abiding citizens."
The last census was targeted in its religion specifications, with nearly 400,000 people - or 0.8 per cent of the population - claiming to be a Jedi.
