"
announcement about the interim scheme will include a statement about
the number of vouchers to be issued, (although the permanent scheme will
have no declared quota) the reduced allocations for Malta and the Depend-
ent Territories, and any necessary changes in the criteria for the issue
of vouchers but, following the line taken in previous announcements about
changes in the voucher scheme, will not state specifically the division
of the available vouchers between categories A and B.
5.
Since the broad outlines of an interim scheme were provisionally agreed
by Ministers, there have been two changes in the relevant circumstances.
Firstly the DHSS now estimate that they will require at least 1300 vouchers
for doctors in 1971 compared with 581 issued in 1970. Secondly the FCO
have agreed that under the permanent scheme for the issue of work permits
the allocations for Malta and the Dependent Territories shall be reduced to
600 and 400 p.a. respectively. These factors have been taken into account in
formulating the scheme set out below.
THE PRESENT VOUCHER SCHEME
6. The maximum number of employment vouchers which may be issued each year
Ministerial approval was given in 1968 to the following distribution:-
is 8,500.
Malta
Dependent
1,000
To be taken up in either Category A or Category B
To be taken up in either Category A or B but not more than 300 to go to any one territory.
Territories
600
Remainder of Commonwealth
Category A 1,700
of which not more than 15% (in practice 300 pa) may go to any one country.
Category B 5,200
In July 1969 it was announced that not more than 2,000 wuchers in any one
year might be issued to doctors.
7. In 1970 the vouchers actually issued wore:-
Malta
846 (844 in A and 2 in B)
2