It has recently been announced that the Government is considering scrapping the ten-year National Census after almost 200 years.

It is expected to announce this over the next few weeks. The suggested idea for this move is to hide the real truth about immigration.

I suggest that no one really knows just how many people are coming into this country or, for that matter, how many people are leaving.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been exploring the idea of replacing the National Census for some time. This is probably due to the cost of running it.

It doesn’t seem very long ago that they were saying how important the census is for the Government to plan for the next 50 years.

They are going to base their information instead on “administration data”, which, of course, could include such things as the NHS and tax benefit records as well as the electoral roll. The surprising thing about this is that the ONS also wants to include databases run by the private sector.

I would say to the Government, “Hands off the National Census. If it ain’t broke, leave it alone.”

Millions of people make use of the National Census to trace their ancestors. Family history is the fastest growing hobby in this country, as it is in other countries. It is important in their research and there are vast numbers of people willing to help in this research.

I know we cannot see the up-to-date census reports but those who follow in our footsteps will use these in their studies.

Tell your MP to tackle the Government in any way they can to avoid stopping the National Census. There’s no real hardship in filling in a form once every ten years.

If it is stopped, future generations will not be able to trace us. Don’t let the Government ruin something else for the people.

David Rowland, Harvest Close, Telscombe Cliffs