The Statistics of Trade and Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 1988

Census of production, distribution and services

3.—(1) For the purpose of providing at intervals general surveys of the state of trade and business, the Department shall—

(a) in each year take a census of production;

(b) in any prescribed year take a census of distribution and other services.

(2) Any year prescribed by an order under paragraph (1)(b) shall be a calendar year beginning not less than twelve months after the date on which the order comes into operation.

(3) A census may either—

(a) be taken so as to cover all undertakings in the field of production or distribution or other services (as the case may be), or

(b) be confined to such classes or descriptions of those undertakings as may be prescribed.

(4) Subject to paragraph (5), any person carrying on an undertaking may be required to furnish returns for the purposes of a census.

(5) The Department may by order provide for exempting from the obligation to furnish returns under paragraph (4), either wholly or to the prescribed extent, and either unconditionally or subject to the prescribed conditions, any persons or any prescribed class or description of persons.

(6) The matters about which a person may be required to furnish returns for the purposes of a census shall be the matters set out in the Schedule.

(7) In taking a census the Department shall, subject to paragraph (8), require returns to be furnished with respect to the calendar year next preceding the date of the census.

(8) The Department may make arrangements for allowing a person for whom it would be inconvenient to furnish returns with respect to the calendar year referred to in paragraph (7), to furnish returns with respect to some other period of twelve months.