Take Action

There is still time to stop the contract for the 2011 Census being given to Lockheed Martin. We are not calling for a boycott of the Census at this stage.

The final selection of the contractor was expected in January 2008, but no decision has yet been announced. Before this happens, we are asking you to do the following:

• Contact your MP and ask them to raise the issue in Parliament.
• Contact your local Councillor and ask them to highlight their concerns about the allocation of local authority resources.
• You can contact your elected representatives by email through this website: www.writetothem.com
• Sign our petition opposing arms company involvement in the Census. (the petition is now closed)

Letters can be more effective than emails. All MPs can be written to at Parliament using this address:

House of Commons
London, SW1A 0AA

Or write to your Councillors via your local Town Hall.

Points to make in your emails/letters:

• Data security
  Whatever confidentiality clauses are written into the contract between the Office of National Statistics and Lockheed Martin, these are unlikely to ensure that people have confidence their data will be safe.
  
  A key point is therefore to stress that you will not feel your private details will be secure if Lockheed Martin are involved in the Census and will be unhappy at being legally obliged to supply your data to their systems.

• Ethics
  You may also be concerned that a company involved in producing land mines and nuclear weapons, and taking part in interrogation at Guantanamo Bay is running the Census.

More details about Lockheed Martin’s business here