To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if the Government will allocate part of the budget for the 2011 Census awareness campaign to advertising through community radio stations.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking if part of the budget for the 2011 Census awareness campaign will be allocated to advertising through community radio stations (43100).

As part of the overall census communication and engagement programme, nearly 200 census area managers and community advisors are contacting community and local media to raise awareness of the 2011 Census in England and Wales. Many community radio stations have responded positively, recognising the importance of encouraging their audience to participate, and covering the census in news and editorial features.

There are no plans to allocate a specific budget for community radio stations. Advertising on local and community channels may be used to further encourage response in specific areas later in the census process. These plans will not be finalised until early return rate patterns are clear.