On 30th June the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is due to release a further tranche of 2001 Census data. This will include Key Statistics at ward and sub-ward level (output areas or OAs). An OA will contain an average of around 125 households or about 300 people.

Ethnicity and Religion data will be published for OAs on: gender, age bands, country of birth (inside UK, outside UK), economic activity (three categories), health (two categories), house hold types. Ethnicity and religion cross tabulations will be published at the district level. However these crosstabulations are also needed at ward level. It is an essential information need to address deprevation issues and for renewal and regeneration programmes. The ONS has promised to look into this need.

As two-way tables are prepared for smaller geographical areas, it is inevitable that table cells will take on lower values. In order to prevent the possible identification of individuals, the ONS is rounding up such cell values. The minimum value will be 3 (rounded to base 3).

In July 2003 the ONS will be publishing further Standard Tables at the ward and OA level. A Theme report on ethnicity and religion is planned for September.

A press release issued by ONS on 7 May 2003 provides further details on population's age breakdown and children's backgrounds. Muslim and Sikh populations have a very high proportion of young people - 33.8 % of Muslims are aged 0-15, and 18.2 % age 16-24. The average is 20.2 % aged 0-15 and 10.9 % aged 16-24.

54.5 % of population in the Pakistani ethnic group was born in England or Wales. Many children live in 'workless' households with over two million (17.6%) in households where there are no adults in work. In Muslim households this is even higher with more than a third of children living in households where no adults has work.

Muslim children also experience much more overcrowding (more than two in five - 41.7 % - compared with an average of 12.3 % ) and one in eight live in a household with no central heating compared with the average of 5.9 % - one in 16.

This second tranche of data adds details to the picture given by the Key Statistics released on 13th February 2003. In particular, it shows many relationships between Census topics, for example, the links between ethnicity and health. Table S103 will indicate Sex and age by religion. Further cross-tabulations are also expected e.g. economic activity, general health.

An Ethnicity - Religion cross-tabulation at the national level will not be published on 7th May but at some future date.