Why are there two questions on health in 2001?

The question on Limiting Long-Term Illness (LLTI) was introduced in 1991 and was retained in 2001. The response to this question is used to allocate resources to the health service and predicting the use of medical services.

2001 also saw the introduction of a new question on general health, asking respondents to say whether their health over the last year has on the whole been good, fairly good or not good.

The reason for introducing a second health question was that the question on LLTI implies permanent disability whereas the question on general health is expected to give a more general picture of a range of conditions.

The 2001 Census also included a question about the provision of unpaid care to the sick.