§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment to what factors he attributes the net migration from Birmingham in the past decade; and if he will publish details by age, sex and occupation.
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§ Sir George YoungThe population of Birmingham fell by 91,000 between the censuses of 1971 and 1981. Allowing for an increase in this period of 20,000 (births over death), the loss attributable to migration is around 110,000. Details of net migration by age and sex for the years preceding each census may be found in the respective census reports: details by occupation are not readily available.
In Birmingham, as in other major cities, changes in industrial structure, social expectations and personal mobility have all contributed to this process, as well as a shortage of land within the city boundary ready for housing and industrial development. The Government and the city council have been tackling these problems in partnership through the urban programme and other means, and considerable progress in recycling land has been made in the last five years.