asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what statistical degree of accuracy he anticipates in his assessment of ethnic population to be conducted in 1981 (a) nationally overall and (b) by local authority area.

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to him on 3 April 1930—[Vol. 982, c. 263]—in which I listed the sources of information on ethnic minorities. It is impracticable to specify the degree of accuracy of the estimates that may be made from these sources. The national estimates are, however, likely to be more accurate than the estimates for local areas.