The main 2001 Census data is freely available and all three Census Offices have granted unrestricted use of it, but a licence is required for its re-use and publication. The Census data remains Crown copyright but the Government has offered to waive normal copyright restrictions in order to encourage widespread use of the material. The simplest way to take advantage of this offer is for any organisation wishing to publish or re-use the data to obtain a Click-Use Licence. Further information on this licence, which is free, can be obtained from the following websites:

www.clickanduse.hmso.gov.uk and www.hmso.gov.uk/click-use-home.htm

Licensees are permitted to copy or publish Crown copyright material (with certain exceptions) in any medium without having to seek formal permission or to pay a fee. However, users must ensure that:
- the material is reproduced accurately and not in a misleading context;
- that the material is correctly acknowledged and that the source and status of the material is identified; and
- in the case of Census data the terms and conditions of supply are passed on to third parties.

This means that each publication including Census data should feature the following statement:

"Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland"

In addition the source should be acknowledged wherever the data appears - each table and figure should show the source. Best practice is to include the full source, including the table number of the source data, such as "2001 Census Key Statistics table 6", so that verification or comparison to other areas can be made on the same basis and so that precise definitions can be traced. Where publication is in electronic form, whether on an intranet, extranet or the Internet, each file (or sheet within an Excel workbook, for example) or page should feature © Crown copyright, along with the source, and the full statement shown above should be included on the access page(s). The full terms and conditions of the Click-Use Licence are viewable on the HMSO website or a copy is available by contacting HMSO by e-mail, post or telephone.

The 2001 Census Output Area boundaries are Crown copyright and, similar to Census data, require a freely available Click-use or distribution licence. Reuse or publication of these boundaries requires the copyright and source to be acknowledged prominently with the following statement:

"2001 Census, Output Area Boundaries. Crown copyright 2003. Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO"

These geographical boundaries are available in a digital format for re-use directly from the Census Offices free of charge.