Government number crunchers will collect details on sexual orientation in all major national surveys from January, according to the Government’s most senior statistician.
Anyone asked about their shopping habits, job situation or living expenses will also be asked whether they are straight, gay, bisexual or ‘other’.
Critics have labelled this an “intrusion” and Tory MP Ann Widdecombe said: “This is going completely over the top.
“It just goes to show the level of obsession there is out there with this subject.”
The results of asking such questions may reveal that there are far fewer homosexuals in the UK than many people think, embarrassing the Government and ‘gay rights’ groups who claim the figure is six per cent.
Getting his excuses in early, homosexual activist Ben Summerskill cautioned: “All too often, these questions are asked by clip-board wielding bureaucrats from the Office for National Statistics who do not explain why they are being asked. It needs to be carefully and sensitively handled.”
Earlier this year, a Government survey revealed that just one in every 100 people in the UK describes themselves as homosexual.
In the survey of 4,000 people conducted by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) the vast majority (94.4 per cent) said they were heterosexual. Under one per cent said they were ‘bisexual’ and three per cent did not give an answer.
Statisticians took two years to decide how to phrase the question in order to get the most accurate result. Despite this, ONS has claimed its results are “not a reliable estimate” of the homosexual population.
Dismissing those ONS findings Mr Summerskill insisted the figure is nearer six per cent. He said at the time: “There are sensible reasons for putting this question, but if you don’t explain the reasons on the doorstep then people will get anxious and wonder why the man from the ministry is asking about their private life.”
The last Census, the most comprehensive survey of the UK population, appears to confirm there are fewer homosexuals than many people are led to believe. It found there are fewer than 40,000 same-sex households in England and Wales, representing less than 0.2% of all households.