Up Front
ExCo Looks at Census
The findings of the population census conductedin October 1999 are now being reviewed by the Executive Council,Cayman Net News has learnt.
The report was presented to ExCo on Tuesday,19th December, Mr. Brian Boxill, the Government's Chief Statisticiandisclosed. While declining to discuss the census data, he saidthat as soon as the minutes from the ExCo meeting are ratified,the results of the Census will be released to the public.
Asked whether the information would be releasedbefore year-end, Mr. Boxill responded: "I would certainlyhope so; after you've undertaken an exercise like that you tendto want to ...bring closure on it."
He noted that there had been problems withthe conduct of the Census. "Every survey you do you willhave some problems with it. There were some very nice people who'regood corporate citizens, and they came forward, while there weresome that you had to track down," Mr. Boxill said.
According to sources at the Elections Office,one of the difficulties they had this year with registration wasthat some people thought they had already registered when theStatistics Unit conducted its survey.
Mr Boxill said that while it was understandablethat such conflict would arise, there was nothing on the Unit'squestionaire to suggest that the Census was going to be part ofthe election process.
"We steered clear of the election processaltogether," he said. "We never even mentioned the wordelections. We tried to convey to people that the information wasconfidential; that it would only be put out in aggregated formatsso that nobody would be able to determine who is who."
The results of the census will give up-to-datepopulation statistics. According to the Cayman Islands 1999 AnnualReport and Handbook, the population stood at 40,000 last yearend.