Chamber and committees

The harmonised disability question was agreed earlier this year and is in the process of being adopted by official Scottish population surveys. It is not intended that this question will be reviewed before 2015.

The General Register Office for Scotland (now part of National Records of Scotland) made every effort to ensure that those who may have difficulty in completing the census questionnaire were provided appropriate help and guidance. Where possible householders were able to request help directly through their local census enumerator or alternatively could visit the Scotland’s Census website, where guidance and interpretations of every census question was provided in British Sign Language (see http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/en/help/bsl.html). Assistance was also available through our textphone service. In researching and providing these help facilities, we engaged with organisations such as Royal National Institute of Deaf People and Deaf Connections.

Question 20 on the 2011 Census questionnaire, which asked about long-term conditions, included a tick box for “Deafness or partial hearing loss”, as well as including an option to allow respondents to specify an alternative response, as required. It did not ask specifically about profound hearing loss. It is based on self assessment and self declaration, and as such was not designed to give counts of specific groups.

The completed questionnaires are currently being processed (in geographical units) at the data capture centre. A number of statistical processes are applied to the data before final, quality assured census outputs can be released and used. The timetable for release of detailed census output data will be made available in spring 2012.

The General Register Office for Scotland (now part of National Records of Scotland) made every effort to ensure that those who may have difficulty in completing the census questionnaire were provided appropriate help and guidance. Where possible householders were able to request help directly through their local census enumerator or alternatively could visit the Scotland’s Census website, where large-print questionnaires or census guidance and questions in Braille could be requested, either through the census helpline or textphone. Audio guidance was also on the Scotland’s Census website:

http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/en/news/publicity/media/audio.html#visualimpairment.

In researching and providing these help facilities, we engaged with organisations such as Royal National Institute of Deaf People, Deaf Connections and Royal National Institute of Blind People in Scotland.

Question 20 on the 2011 Census questionnaire, which asked about long-term conditions, included a tick box for “Deafness or partial hearing loss” and a tick box for “Blindness or partial sight loss”, as well as including an option to allow respondents to specify an alternative response, as required. It is based on self assessment and self declaration, and as such was not designed to give counts of specific groups.

The completed questionnaires are currently being processed (in geographical units) at the data capture centre. A number of statistical processes are applied to the data before final, quality assured census outputs can be released and used. The timetable for release of detailed census output data will be made available in spring 2012.

The General Register Office for Scotland (now part of National Records of Scotland) made every effort to ensure that those who may have difficulty in completing the census questionnaire were provided appropriate help and guidance. Where possible, householders were able to request help directly through their local census enumerator or alternatively could visit the Scotland’s Census website, where guidance and interpretations of every census question was provided in British Sign Language (see http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/en/help/bsl.html). Assistance was also available through our textphone service. In researching and providing these help facilities, we engaged with organisations such as Royal National Institute of Deaf People and Deaf Connections.

Question 20 on the 2011 Census questionnaire, which asked about long-term conditions, included a tick box for “Deafness or partial hearing loss”, as well as including an option to allow respondents to specify an alternative response, as required. It is based on self assessment and self declaration, and as such was not designed to give counts of specific groups.

The completed questionnaires are currently being processed (in geographical units) at the data capture centre. A number of statistical processes are applied to the data before final, quality assured census outputs can be released and used. The timetable for release of detailed census output data will be made available in spring 2012.

The Scottish Government is committed to the social model of disability. When hearing loss is first assessed, therefore, it is important that the individual, and their parents and carers, have access to the appropriate intervention that can best meet their needs. The appropriate intervention might be provided by the National Health Service, local authorities or other providers, according to the individual’s needs.

The General Register Office for Scotland (now part of National Records of Scotland) made every effort to ensure that those who may have difficulty in completing the census questionnaire were provided appropriate help and guidance. Where possible householders were able to request help directly through their local census enumerator or alternatively could visit the Scotland’s Census website, where guidance and interpretations of every census question was provided in British Sign Language: http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/en/help/bsl.html.

Assistance was also available through our textphone service. In researching and providing these help facilities, we engaged with organisations such as Royal National Institute of Deaf People and Deaf Connections.

British Sign Language was included as an option in question 18 of the 2011 Census questionnaire, which asks about language use at home. Question 20, on long-term conditions, included a tick box for “Deafness or partial hearing loss” and both questions included an option to allow respondents to specify an alternative response, as required. It is based on self assessment and self declaration, and as such was not designed to give counts of specific groups.

The completed questionnaires are currently being processed (in geographical units) at the data capture centre. A number of statistical processes are applied to the data before final, quality assured census outputs can be released and used. The timetable for release of detailed census output data will be made available in spring 2012.

This is a matter for individual public bodies. The information is not held centrally.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02342 on 21 September 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I will shortly announce the appointment of a chair who will lead a steering group whose remit will be to help take forward this exciting and ambitious project.

Full details of the specification for the proposed facility including the bidding process, and timescales will therefore be published in due course.