Health Story

04 July 2009 21:30 BST

Immigration figures 'wrong'

The government has been criticised for failing to keep accurate records of the number of immigrant workers in Britain.

Earlier today the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) revealed that its estimate of immigrant numbers was 300,000 too low at 800,000.

This revised statistic was cast into doubt by a statement from national statistician Kevin Dunnell, who confirmed in reply to a parliamentary question that 1.5 million overseas-born people in employment had entered the UK in the past ten years.

Then, later this evening, a DWP spokesperson was unable to confirm a claim made by home secretary Jacqui Smith relating to the proportion of foreign workers filling jobs created by the government since 1997.

Under the latest figures available from 2003, 1.1 million of the 2.1 million jobs created since 1997 had been accounted for by foreign nationals, the spokesperson said.

Ms Smith, having apologised for the error relating to overall immigrant worker levels in Britain, appeared to suggest to the BBC's Breakfast programme this morning that the majority of new jobs between 1997 and 2007 had gone to UK nationals.

"The important point is that actually there are 2.7 million more jobs in this country than there were in 1997," she said.

"That's more jobs, yes, that have been filled by those that have come from abroad, but many more jobs that have been filled by UK nationals, and vacancies still out there for UK nationals."

The DWP spokesperson said Ms Smith's 2.7 million figure came from the latest population estimates but was unable to cite the proportion of migrant workers relative to this figure.

Observers have stated that Ms Smith's claim could not be verified and that the government's policy of "British jobs for British workers" has been undermined.

The Conservatives have attacked the government for displaying confusion and uncertainty about their understanding of the impact of foreign workers on Britain's labour market.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Chris Grayling said the earlier admission that the government had underestimated the number of immigrants working in the UK was an "extraordinary development".

"The fact that the government did not know the true number of overseas workers who have come to the UK in the past ten years is profoundly worrying, and confirms fears that ministers have simply lost control of our systems for migrant workers," he said.

"It really does call into question the competence of ministers and of the government as a whole," Mr Grayling added.

Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman Danny Alexander said: "Getting these figures so wrong further undermines the credibility of the government's claims to be able to deliver a well-managed system for foreign workers."

Ministers apologised for the government's errors earlier today.

In a letter to Mr Grayling, Mr Hain insisted that the original figures had been used "in good faith" but added: "I apologise for having to make this revision."

Ms Smith admitted that "of course it's bad that these figures are wrong" on the Breakfast programme and reiterated the apology.

And Home Office minister Liam Byrne, announcing an extension of the government's controls on immigration from Bulgaria and Romania, said receiving incorrect statistics from civil servants was "extremely frustrating".

"I think people have got the right to ask, what are you doing about getting the systems back in place?" he said.

"Taxpayers have the right to expect us to know how many foreign nationals there are coming into the country."