The results of the 2000 census are set to be released in September - two months later than expected.

And the summary, originally promised for last August, probably won't arrive before the autumn, Government Chief Statistician Janet Smith Bradshaw said yesterday.

She blamed some of the delay on Government information takers incorrectly filling in forms and said lessons had been learned for next time around.

The writing of the final report has also been delayed as staff were pulled off to provide information on voters as the Boundary Commission prepare to re-write Bermuda's electoral map.

She said temporary staff who helped with the initial stages of the project would not have the skills for drafting the final report.

However she said they might have been able to help with the Boundary Commission work.

Ms. Smith Bradshaw said: "By that time they were gone, some had retired or flown out. We had to work with what we had.

"I don't know exactly when the census will be released. When it's completed it needs to be sent to the Premier. We are pushing to get it out. Hopefully I am looking at September.

"We had a number of challenges."

She said the census, which documents population numbers and economic and social trends, had been planned for a summer release and Government was not too far off the mark.

Collection of data had taken longer than the last census in 1991 because more people were reluctant to give information.

Two extension periods allowed the missing people to be accounted for - but sloppy form filling by temporary enumerators employed to visit households meant some information couldn't be entered into the computer.

Ms Smith Bradshaw said some some part time enumerators did not shade in boxes meaning her small staff had to go over it again.

"Correcting it took some time," she said.

She said her staff were working flat out on the final analysis and so could not take time out to produce a summary but she said a Government report would then be formatted by Government Information Services.

Opposition Leader Dr. Grant Gibbons said the business world was keen to get the information to help spot market trends while it would help Government make decisions.

He said: "We await with interest."