Immigration
According to official UK government estimates, approximately 1,500 migrants arrived to live in the UK every day during 2005. The same figures suggest that 185,000 more people immigrated into the UK than emigrated to any another country, yielding a net population gain of 500 per day.
According to the figures released by the Office for National Statistics, the largest single group of immigrants were 121,000 arrivals from "new commonwealth" nations - principally, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.
However, in late August (2005) the government also released a major statistics data set that indicates approximately 1.5 million people had come into the United Kingdom in the previous two years.
Social Security and Benefits
In August 2002, 22% of the working age population claimed a benefit (23% of men and 21% of women) – down from 23% in August 1999.
At the end of November 2002 there were 107,926 Incapacity Benefit claimants, up 4,259 (4.1%) on the previous year. Of these 71,771 were in receipt of the benefit, a 1.2% increase on the November 2001 figure.
The Family Unit
More than 40% of marriages end in divorce. The number of divorces granted in England and Wales in 2004 was 153,399. More than half of these couples had at least one child aged under the age of 16
Nearly one in two children in the UK are born to unmarried parents, compared with one in eight in 1980. 26% of children (2.3 million) currently live in lone parent households, compared with 15% in 1986. Figures for 2006 show 250,000 more one-parent
The percentage of births outside marriage continues to rise. In 2004, 42.2 per cent of births were outside marriage, up from 41.4 in 2003
Britain has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Europe. In 2002 legally induced abortions were carried out on 3,514 girls aged 15 or under (nearly 1,000 were aged 14 or younger)
5,000 children every week live in a broken home. 4,000 children call Childline every day
Capitalism
Public Sector workers on poverty pay are told that a 3 percent increase is enough. But ‘fat cat’ pay is going through the roof. The number of executives grabbing over £500,000 a year is now at a record high of 487.
And 123 of these are on £1 million or more. These 487 individuals rake in an obscene £429.8 million between them. Directors earning over £500,000 a year have seen their pay soar by an average of 16.1 percent.
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