CONFIDENTIAL
3. The Treasury asked for advice on three matters on which there appeared from the Home Office letter to be some uncertainty;
i. How many new refugees the voluntary organisations
would be able to cope with
ii. What would the costs of receiving and resettling
the refugees be, and could the Home Office absorb it
in their existing provision
iii. How open-ended was the commitment what were the
potential numbers.
It was also necessary to decide whether this subject needed to be discussed
by the Official Committee on Community Relations and Immigration, and by Ministers collectively.
4. The Home Office thought that the voluntary bodies could handle the
1,500 but could not be certain until they had consulted them. Informal
soundings of the British Council for Aid to Refugees (BCAR), indicated
that they could handle a 1000 or so with their existing staff without
difficulty. Home Office thought BCAR could cope with a phased intake
of 130 a month with assistance from PSA in providing accommodation
and some assistance from Home Office advisers. If the Home Secretary
agreed, Home Office would approach the voluntary organisations with a
view to obtaining confirmation. It would also be necessary to discuss
the location of accommodation with PSA and voluntary bodies and with
local authorities.
from PSA).
(Treasury had received a letter about accommodation
5. The Home Office said that BCAR estimated the marginal cost of coping
with refugees at £500 per head over 18 months, ie about £330 -
£350 per
year. On that basis the cost of 1,500 refugees would be £0.4 to £0.5
per year. This excluded the cost of social security benefits and, it
was thought, probably excluded the cost of accommodation, which for the
"Wellpark" refugees BCAR were meeting from the social security benefits.
CONFIDENTIAL
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