§ 72. Sir G. Nabarroasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the present adult population of the proposed amalgamated County of Herefordshire and Worcestershire; what ingress popula- 292W tion he has estimated during the 28 years to 2000 A.D.; and what change this will entail in the rural and agrarian character of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
§ Mr. Graham PageThe estimated population at the 1971 Census was approximately 560,000, of whom about two-thirds would be adult. The West Midlands Planning Authorities' Conference Study suggests that the total population may increase by about 148,000 between 1971 and 2000 and that 117,000 will be natural increase and the balance net immigration, mainly on the edge of the West Midlands conurbation. I have at present no evidence that the general character of the combined counties will change markedly.