Written question asked by David Laws (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 11 October 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 October 2007. It was answered by Angela Eagle (Labour) on Friday, 19 October 2007 on behalf of the Office for National Statistics.

Population

Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the proportion of the UK population which was born abroad in (a) 2000 and (b) 2006; and what he expects it to be in (i) 2010, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2030, (iv) 2040 and (v) 2050.

Answer: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.Letter from Mike Hughes, dated 19 October 2007:"The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the proportion of the UK population which was born abroad in (a) 2000 and (b) 2006; and what it is expected to be in (i) 2020, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2030, (iv) 2040 and (v) 2050. I am replying in her absence. (158573)""Based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the proportion of the UK population that was foreign born in 2000 was 7.6%. The equivalent proportion in 2006 was 10.0%.""There are no official projections of the proportion of the UK population that is foreign born.""When interpreting these figures, it is important to bear in mind that the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is designed to capture all people in the UK living in a private household or NHS accommodation. Some UK residents are not captured by the LFS including students living in halls of residence who do not have a UK-resident parent, and people living in other types of communal establishment (such as hostels, hotels, boarding houses, or mobile home sites). These factors may contribute to the LFS giving a slight underestimate of the foreign born population as a proportion of the total UK population.""As with any sample survey, LFS estimates are subject to a margin of uncertainty."

Secondary information