11 April 1991
CONFIDENTIAL
Draft
HKD 213
RECEIVED **
-
1 MAY 1991
DESK OFFICCA
18
270 2068
Russell Yates Esq
B2 Division
Immigration & Nationality Dept Home Office
INDEX
Lunar House, 40 Wellesley Road Croydon CR9 2BY
PA
DEPENDENT TERRITORIES WORK PERMIT QUOTA
Alan Paul wrote to John Gilbert on 19 March and John Morris discussed this matter with you by telephone on 8 April.
1.
As you are aware the authorities in St Helena are extremely reluctant to see the end of the Work Permit Quota. Because:
2.
(a) St Helena is the only British Dependent Territory which still receives grant-in-aid (an annual bill of around £10 million). Private sector development is so limited that around 75% of the island's working population of some 3,000 are employed in the public sector. A reduction by 50 in the number of St Helenians going to work in the UK therefore, though small, would have an affect on the aid bill.
(b) The political impact. The St Helenians were deeply offended by the loss in 1971 of the right of abode in the UK, which they regarded as a conscious distancing by HMG from their commitment to the islanders. The islanders would interpret abolition as a further reduction in St Helena's status in HMG's eyes.
3.
Unfortunately the Department of Employment's suggestion that St Helena might make more use of the existing arrangements for training and work experience in the UK, the details of which were kindly provided by Bob Niblett with his letter of 22 March, would not go very far to compensate for the loss of the quota. The existing rules for the training and work experience scheme set a standard of suitability (and educational or professional qualifications needed) which the majority of the St Helena workforce would at present find it difficult to meet.
4.
However we are confident that the consequences of an abolition of the quota would be manageable provided that we could phase the abolition over a sufficiently long period. We have consulted our Ministers accordingly and they are prepared to see the abolition of the whole Work Permit Quota by means of a phased
POPAIR CC
CONFIDENTIAL