To ask Her Majesty's Government how many economic migrants (a) entered, and (b) left, the United Kingdom in each of the past six months. [HL1726]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician, to Lord Hylton, dated March 2009.

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many economic migrants (a) entered, and (b) left, the United Kingdom in each of the past six months. (HL 1726)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) uses the International Passenger Survey (IPS) to estimate flows of international migrants into and out of the United Kingdom. The IPS is a sample survey and cannot provide monthly estimates of migration. However ONS does provide annual estimates of migrants entering and leaving the UK for work-related reasons. The latest migration estimates, for 2007, show that 243,000 people entered the UK for work related reasons and 173,000 left.