Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to work with social media companies to gather migration data when compiling official immigration statistics.

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

Dear Lord Taylor,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am replying to your Parliamentary Question asking what plans there are, if any, to work with social media companies to gather migration data when compiling official immigration statistics (HL12724).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing migration statistics for the United Kingdom. ONS has recently set out an ambitious programme of work to transform migration statistics[1], to better understand the impact of migration on local areas and reduce reliance on surveys. The programme is initially focusing on sources from within government bodies, using new data sharing powers approved by Parliament. The programme recognises the potential value of alternative data sources and the intention is to explore these as we progress.

Yours sincerely,

John Pullinger

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/articles/migrationstatisticstransformationupdate/2018-05-24