§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many pensioners from ethnic minority groups he estimates there will be in (a) 1987, (b)1991 and (c)2001; and how many of these will be of (i) Asian, (ii) Cypriot, (iii) Chinese and (iv) Afro-Caribbean origin.
§ Mr. John PattenThe only available projections of the population in ethnic minority groups are those based on mid-1976 population estimates and published in Population Trends 16 in 1979. These projections cover the whole population of New Commonwealth and Pakistan ethnic origin and show that by 1986 the number aged 65 and over in Great Britain would probably be within the range 53–55,000, while in 1991 the number would probably be within the range 73–78,000—depending on what was assumed about the future level of immigration and emigration. These figures are consistent with the latest information from the labour force survey on the present size of ethnic minority groups and published in OPCS Monitor PP1 84/5 in December 1984.