Emigration levels and monitoring
Kelly asks whether emigration has risen and how its scale and pattern are monitored. The Minister says passenger data suggest net emigration may have increased in 1977, but the Labour Force Survey and next year’s census are needed for a clearer assessment.
asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development (a) whether his attention has been drawn to reports that emigration is at a substantially higher level than a year ago; (b) whether these reports are a matter of concern to him; and (c) whether he has devised any system of monitoring the scale and the pattern, in particular the age groups and the parts of the country involved, of this renewed emigration trend.
Comment on this
Figures for net passenger movement by sea and air are used to derive an indicator of the overall trend in net migration. The latest figures suggest that net emigration may have increased in 1977 compared with 1976.
It is hoped that the results of the 1977 EEC Labour Force Survey may help to identify the extent to which the increase in the net outward passenger movement represents an actual increase in net emigration. Data for a more satisfactory assessment of the overall emigration position can only be obtained from the Census of Population which is scheduled to take place next year.