Complaints about new UK census questions that probe more deeply into people’s private lives

More detailed questions in new UK census

LONDON — How many bedrooms in your home? What kind of heater do you use? Who’s staying over at your apartment tonight?

The British government wants to know all that and more, according to proposed questions for the 2011 national census. For the first time, the questionnaire will include personal questions such as the name, age and sex of visitors staying at Britons’ homes on census night. It will also collect more detailed data about Britain’s immigrants and ethnic minorities, including what passports they hold and whether they’re proficient in English.

The draft questions have been criticized as the latest intrusion into Britons’ private lives. Nick Hurd, a lawmaker for the opposition Conservatives, said Monday that the proposed questions will erode public support for the census. The government is acting like a “bedroom snooper” and its questionnaire shows no respect for the privacy of citizens, he said.

“Just because the government has the legal powers to ask these questions does not give the state the license to ask anything they want,” Hurd said.

The 32-page questionnaire is the longest yet. New questions targeted at immigrants include when they arrived in the country and how long they plan to stay. The ethnicity group question has also been expanded, so that people can tick “Arab” for the first time, according to the Office for National Statistics Web site.

A National Statistics document says questions about the type of central heating used and the number of bedrooms will be used to gauge basic housing standards.

Peter Benton, deputy director of the 2011 census, said the information would not be abused.

“The personal information that people fill in on a census questionnaire is completely confidential and is protected by law,” he said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Information about visitors is used to ascertain the population estimates within a local area and is not aimed at collecting information about individuals, he said.

The proposed questions are subject to approval by Parliament.