No quick fix over immigration (20/04/2007)

A new proposed method of counting international migrants has been slammed as offering a "quick fix" which is worse than the one it is replacing.

Westminster City Council has issued a damning verdict of the new system, revealed by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) today [Tuesday 24th April].

The new figures show an almost inconceivable decrease in London’s migrant population by 60,000 and a drop of 15,500 in Westminster alone.

In addition to council finances, this will also have a knock on effect on Greater London Authority funding such as police, fire and emergency planning.

Westminster Council believes that this does not match the reality of the situation on the streets of London.

The ONS have themselves have admitted deficiencies in their own system for counting migration.

In May 2006, Karen Dunnell, National Statistician, wrote to four government departments: “There is now broad agreement that available estimates of migrant numbers are inadequate for managing the economy, policies and services.”

Just last week, the Immigration Minister, Liam Byrne said that at very least the Office of National Statistics needs to improve its figures on which key local financing decisions are based.

Councillor Colin Barrow, Westminster City Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance said: “This new method for counting migration is not fit for purpose and is just a quick fix - it is equivalent to putting a sticking plaster on the Titanic.

“It is simply not good enough to replace one poor method of assessing migration with yet another.

“The population figures will still not account for those spending less than a year in the country or solve the inequity of local funding caused by second home ownership or renting. The Labour Force Survey will also not pick up those staying in hostels or living in houses of multiple occupancy.

“In Westminster, we know that up to 2000 migrants are coming through Victoria Coach Station every week. We believe that this new method will still not properly count these people.

“The ONS should delay introducing this new methodology until it is confident it can get it right and fit for purpose. Otherwise it will jeopardise the reputation of official statistics further.”

-Ends-

Notes to Editors:

Relevant link to ONS website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14834

 The new system uses a Labour Force Survey covering just 0.2% of the population, to prop up a passenger survey which covers the same proportion of travellers to estimate population figures.

These are then used to calculate the funds needed by local authorities to provide essential services.

Overall migration figures into the UK will not be changed by this new methodology which Westminster believe to be plain wrong.

Migration figures released by the ONS on 19th April suggested that approximately 56,000 Poles entered the UK in 2005, although the Department for Work and Pensions has issued figures suggesting that over 170,000 Polish citizens applied for a new National Insurance

Number in 2005/06. Presently, migration is measured through the International Passenger Survey. This asks several questions to a small number of migrants at a port of entry and includes why they might be coming to the UK, where they are going and how long they are staying.

The new methodology will use details from the quarterly Labour Force Survey that selects households at random and samples residents in order to dampen down the results from the International Passenger Survey.

The Council has witnessed strong population growth since the accession of 10 Eastern European countries to the European Union:

• Earlier this month it was reported in the media that unemployed Romanian migrants were camping out in Hyde Park.

• Since 1st January 2007 (when Romania and Bulgaria - A2s - joined the European Union) almost 50 A8 nationals (from the eight eastern European countries which joined the EU in 2004) and A2 nationals have visited day centres for the homeless in Westminster every month.

• Since 2005 Westminster City Council has assisted nearly 500 A2/A8s to voluntarily return to their home countries.

Nearly 20% of rough sleepers in Westminster are currently from accession countries, according to the latest WCC count.

The count earlier this month found 92 non accession rough sleepers and 20 from accession countries. Migration is place an increased burden on council services such as adult social care, housing, education, and environmental services.

Bulgaria and Romania are the last of the 10 accession countries to join the European Union. They joined the union on January 1, 2007, following on from the other eight accession states, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, who joined on January 1, 2004.