§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the increase in population of New Commonwealth with Pakistan ethnic origin during each of the last 10 years taking account of births, deaths, migration drift and other factors.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe information requested is not available for each of the last 10 years. Also, there has been a change in the method of estimating the size of the ethnic minority groups.
For the period 1974–79, it is estimated that the average annual increase in the size of the population in Great Britain of New Commonwealth and Pakistan ethnic origin (excluding those from the Mediterranean countries) was 77,000 a year. The figures were published in OPCS Monitor PP1 81/6 issued in December 1981. For the period 1979–84 results of the labour force survey indicate that the average annual increase in the size of the total non-white groups in the population was about 90,000 a year. This estimate is not strictly comparable with that for the period 1974–79 for it covers a wider range of ethnic minority groups.
An article giving further information about the change in the basis for estimating ethnic minority populations is to be published in June in the next issue of Population Trends.