ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, August 15th, 2011– All residents in the Virgin Islands who have not yet taken advantage of the opportunity to be counted in the ongoing Population and Housing Census must make arrangements for an interview with the Development Planning Unit (DPU) no later than Thursday, August 18.

This is the appeal made by Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE through the Department of Information and Public Relations.  Premier O’Neal said, “We need you the people residing in these Virgin Islands to be represented in the census,” adding, “It is important and pivotal to this economy for those of you who have not yet participated in this important exercise to do so, so that we could have an accurate account of our population and its needs.”

The census is 85 percent completed, according to the DPU.

“We need to wrap-up this project and move forward to the comparative analysis portion of this exercise,” he said. “Being counted in this census is in everyone's best interest. In fact, government and other decision-makers need the information as it informs education, health, roads and infrastructural development, for example.”

Premier O’Neal said, “Cooperate and let us together make our voices count in this venture so that government can continue to make accurate decisions, thereby making life here in this Territory comfortable for everyone.”

In speaking with Department of Information and Public Relations, Director of the DPU Mr. Raymond Phillips said residents living in Frenchman’s Cay, Carrot Bay, Windy Hill/Sage Mountain, Great Mountain, Spooner, Joes Hill, Arundel, Shannon, Mayaba, Chalwell, Doty, Lower Estate, Huntum’s Ghut, Paraquita Bay, Brandywine Bay, Sophie Bay, Kingstown, Fish Bay, Jean Hill, Rogues Bay, Trunk Bay, Cooper Bay, Larmer’s Bay, Josiah’s Bay, Cooten Bay, Lower Hope and Belle Vue who have not yet been counted should contact the DPU at 468-3701 extension 2175.

Mr. Phillips said all residents have a responsibility to participate in the census exercise.

In referencing section 15(3) (b) of the Statistics Act, 2005, Mr. Phillips said, “Any person who refuses or neglects to fill up or otherwise supply particulars of information in any schedule or form prescribed under the authority of this Act...commits an offense and shall, on summary conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding $3,000 and to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.”

According to Mr. Phillips, the questionnaire, which takes 30 to 45 minutes to complete, has 13 sections: migration, housing, crime, personal characteristics, disability, health, birthplace and residence, education and training, professional, technical and vocational training, marital status, fertility and economic activity, internet access and the environment.

He explained that information obtained will be kept in the strictest confidence and is protected by law where DPU and its enumerators are bound by the confidentiality clauses in the act.

Section (15) (2) states, “Any person being in possession of any statistics...who publishes or communicates them to any person not authorised by the Director or someone acting on his behalf to receive or obtain such information, commits an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $6,000 and to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months.”

The census, which was approved by Cabinet, is an exercise carried out every 10 years and engages the entire population in the collection of data on individuals and their households.

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