Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Treasury Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 9780215520593

This report (HCP 183-1, session 2007-08, ISBN 9780215520593), from the Treasury Committee, examines the process of counting the population and the problems faced by local authorities in estimating what is a highly mobile population in their areas. A number of these problems became visible during the 2001 Census. The Committee states that the methodology for estimating local populations between each census is not fit for purpose because the statistics fail to take proper account of internal migration. A consequence of this is that local authority funding is based on inadequate information. The Committee recommends that the newly established Statistics Authority should devise a more accurate method to reflect the local population and the effects of internal migration. Further, the Committee raises concerns about the use of the International Passenger Survey in estimating international migration and that a new survey is required to provide a more accurate measurement of international movements. The Committee also states that the development of computerised adminitrative records in the UK requires the Government to put in place strong ethical safeguards to protect personal information. Also the Government and the Statistics Authority need to push ahead with the production of the national address register to underpin the accuracy of the 2011 Census. Finally the Committee believes the traditional census has had its day and the Statistics Authority needs to set out a strategic objective to ensure that the data gathered throughout the UK can be used to produce annual population statistics that are of a quality to enable the 2011 Census to be the last census in the UK where the population is counted through census forms. For the Written evidence to this Volume, see (HCP 183-II, session 2007-08, ISBN 9780215038036).