§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on progress in establishing an appropriate method for measuring net migration into the UK. [150333]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Claire Curtis-Thomas, dated 26 January 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your request for a statement on progress in establishing an appropriate method for measuring net migration into the UK. (150333)A substantial amount of work in this area has already been completed, and a program of further work is ongoing.The results of the 2001 Census showed that the mid-year population estimates had over-estimated the population of the UK over the previous decade. Subsequent research showed that this was partly because net migration into the country had been over-estimated. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) made several improvements to the methodology for estimating total international migration, making fuller use of the available sources. The improved methodology was used to produce the international migration estimates for 2001, and was also applied retrospectively from 1992 onwards in order to produce revised total international migration estimates for the inter-censual decade. ONS released final revised international migration estimates for 1992–2001 in June 2003. The revised methodology was used again to produce the 2002 international migration estimates published in November 2003, which are available on the National Statistics website at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/inme1103.pdf114WIt was already recognised that international migration is the hardest component of population change to measure before the results of the 2001 Census were published. A National Statistics Quality Review of international migration statistics was initiated in March 2002. This was aimed at identifying the means of making the required improvements to the reliability and comprehensiveness of international migration statistics. The National Statistics Quality Review report was published on the National Statistics website in September 2003. Following the publication of this report, ONS produced an implementation plan for taking forward the review's recommendations. This was published on the National Statistics website in January 2004. Both the review and the implementation plan are available at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/methods_quality/quality_review/population.aspThe work outlined in the implementation plan is already underway. ONS, in conjunction with the Home Office are working to complete some of the actions identified by the end of 2004. Other actions are suitable for longer term planning, and in some cases are dependent on developments in other government departments for their successful completion.