labour is available; whilst it will still be stipulated that no more than 15%
of the 700 vouchers available will be issued to any one country.
CATEGORY B
15. At present of the 5,200 vouchers available, 2,000 may he issued to
doctors. Since participation in the attachment scheme, or exemption from
it, have been made a condition for employment in the hospital service,
vouchers have been issued only to doctors who have a place under the scheme
allotted to them, have been exempted from the requirement to undertake a
In 1970 just under 600 vouchers
period of attachment or who have an offer of suitable employment which
does not call for a period of attachment.
were issued to doctors but, as mentioned in paragraph 5 above, DHSS estimate
that they will require at least 1,300 vouchers in the current year. As
only 1,000 category "B" vouchers will be available in total, their require-
ments could not be met even if they were allowed to take all the vouchers
which may be issued. It has already been agreed that doctors and dentists
should be taken out of the permanent work permit scheme, to bring them into
line with aliens, and it is proposed that they should also be taken out of
the interim voucher scheme. There is an effective method of doing this by
using the machinery devised in 1968 to give priority to doctors coming for
The method was for DE, in consultation with DHSS, to recommend
to the HO the issue of an entry certificate. Although subsequently dis-
continued as being unnecessary, the method was used for some time and
proved successful. It could easily be put into use again.
attachment.
16.
It must of course bo recognised that bringing in doctors and dentists
"off the ration" will substantially affect the numbers of Commonwealth
Citizens entering the country for employment; the actual reduction will
be much less than the 2,000 reduction looked for by Ministers.
But they
have already accepted the need to tako doctors and dentists out of the
permanent scheme; and unless similar arrangements are made in the interim
scheme the Health Service will be severely affected.
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