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| Net migration levels 'underestimated', campaigners say | Net migration levels 'underestimated', campaigners say |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Campaigners for lower levels of immigration to the UK have warned that officials could be underestimating the scale of net migration. | Campaigners for lower levels of immigration to the UK have warned that officials could be underestimating the scale of net migration. |
| Migration Watch said the Office for National Statistics may have miscalculated the difference between the number of people coming to and leaving the country. | Migration Watch said the Office for National Statistics may have miscalculated the difference between the number of people coming to and leaving the country. |
| The ONS says it is "confident" its figures are accurate. | The ONS says it is "confident" its figures are accurate. |
| Ministers vowed net migration would fall to under 100,000 per year by 2015. | Ministers vowed net migration would fall to under 100,000 per year by 2015. |
| ONS officials have previously admitted they undercounted the number of people coming to the UK from countries such as Poland when the European Union expanded east in 2004. | ONS officials have previously admitted they undercounted the number of people coming to the UK from countries such as Poland when the European Union expanded east in 2004. |
| 'Simply not true' | 'Simply not true' |
| As Britain prepares to lift labour market restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians next year, Sir Andrew Green - chairman of Migration Watch - says the same mistake could still be being made. | |
| He has written to the UK Statistics Authority calling for a revision of previous immigration estimates after it was revealed in December that between 2001 and 2011, the population of England and Wales grew by 464,000 more than initially claimed. | He has written to the UK Statistics Authority calling for a revision of previous immigration estimates after it was revealed in December that between 2001 and 2011, the population of England and Wales grew by 464,000 more than initially claimed. |
| "There is no point in burying bad news in obscure documents," Sir Andrew said. "That simply destroys trust. | "There is no point in burying bad news in obscure documents," Sir Andrew said. "That simply destroys trust. |
| "It is hard to think of set of statistics that is more important to the public." | "It is hard to think of set of statistics that is more important to the public." |
| But Paul Vickers, head of population outputs at ONS, said: "It is simply not true to suggest that ONS has 'refused' to revise migration estimates." | But Paul Vickers, head of population outputs at ONS, said: "It is simply not true to suggest that ONS has 'refused' to revise migration estimates." |
| He added improvements had been made to the ONS's data. | He added improvements had been made to the ONS's data. |
| The government has so far refused to put a figure on the number of Romanians and Bulgarians who could come to the UK when restrictions are lifted in January. | The government has so far refused to put a figure on the number of Romanians and Bulgarians who could come to the UK when restrictions are lifted in January. |
| Campaigners have said as many as 250,000 people could arrive for work in the next five years. | Campaigners have said as many as 250,000 people could arrive for work in the next five years. |
| The coalition government has said it wants to reduce annual net migration from the hundreds to the tens of thousands by the general election in 2015. | The coalition government has said it wants to reduce annual net migration from the hundreds to the tens of thousands by the general election in 2015. |