Statistics and Registration Service Bill

My Lords, I had thought that I might address the issue on which the noble Lords, Lord Dearing and Lord Newby, have spoken during discussion on Amendments Nos. 3 and 4, to be moved in a few moments by noble friend Lady Noakes. However, in view of what they have said, perhaps I may add a word about the importance of these statistics to local authorities. The noble Lord, Lord Dearing, laid great stress on the value of the statistics to local authorities in doing their work, but the anxiety which has been raised with me—I declare an interest as a joint president of London Councils, which represents all the borough councils in London—is primarily about the measure of the grants that are paid to local authorities. I have the advantage of reading—I assure noble Lords that I do not intend to read more than a few sentences of it—the report that lies behind the letter from Councillor Merrick Cockell that the noble Lord, Lord Newby, quoted. It is one of the very best reports from London Councils that I have read in several years. Headed, ““Population Measures and Grant Distribution””, it contains a sentence of which the House should be aware. It states: "““The importance of population figures in the distribution of grant coupled with the move to population projections,””—" which is now proposed— "““the rapid and increasing scale and changing characteristics of international migration following the enlargement of the European Union in 2004, the large differences between 1991-based local population estimates and the 2001 Census, and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) project to improve estimates of international migration have brought population issues to the forefront””." Lower down, the report says that, "““there is mounting evidence from alternative estimates, the Statistics Commission, the Audit Commission, the Governor of the Bank of England””—" I may return to that later— "““and the ONS that suggests that the population estimates significantly underestimate the scale of international in-migration nationally””." That has huge financial consequences for local authorities and, as the noble Lord, Lord Newby, has said, not least in London, where it is believed that a great majority of those who come from overseas initially settle. This poses very great burdens on London local authorities, which have to provide various local authority services for these people, including housing and education, when they get nothing or very little of additional grant in recognition of the burdens being imposed on them. The point being made by the amendment is that what we are discussing is of enormous importance to local authorities, and it is one that I would very strongly endorse. I am as yet unclear as to whether appointing a member representing local authorities to the Statistics Board is the right way in which to deal with this; there are so many other interests that have concerns about statistics for which the board will be responsible. I hope that the Minister will be able to take on board that the importance of population statistics has been enormously enhanced for local authorities both because of the increasing in-migration and migration within the country and because of the effect that this has on grants paid by the Government to local authorities. That is something that needs addressing urgently and thoroughly if local authority concerns are to begin to be alleviated.