Written question asked by Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party) on Tuesday, 14 February 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 February 2006. It was answered by Tony McNulty (Labour) on Monday, 27 February 2006 on behalf of the Home Office.

Asylum/Immigration

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people living in Northern Ireland in 2005 were estimated to be doing so illegally.

Answer: In 2005, the Home Office published a report which included an estimate of the size of the illegal migrant population in the UK in 2001. A copy of the RDS On-line report 29/05 Sizing the unauthorised (illegal) migrant population in the United Kingdom in 2001 can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/notes/june_summaries.html#rdsolr2905.As mentioned in the report the only method to estimate the size of the unauthorised migrant population in the UK that currently can sensibly be applied is the residual method. As the method relies on data from the census of the population undertaken every 10 years, it is not possible to produce an estimate for other years. Nor is it possible, using this methodology, to estimate the number living in Northern Ireland.

Secondary information