This order establishes the legal requirements and exemptions for the 1981 Census of Production conducted by the United Kingdom government. The document serves as a regulatory instrument issued by the Secretary of State, defining the scope of data collection for industrial and manufacturing sectors. It outlines the specific obligations placed upon businesses to provide statistical returns and identifies the criteria for exemption from these reporting requirements.

This document is utilized primarily by legal researchers, historians, and archivists studying the administrative history of British industrial policy. Experts categorize this as a primary source document essential for understanding the regulatory environment of the early 1980s UK economy.