TNAG-0321-FCO40-357-Effect-of-1971-UK-Immigration-Bill-on-entry-of-Chinese-from--1971 — Page 72

CONFIDENTIAL

Ministers have commissioned Mr Carr to conduct a review of the country's manpower needs from foreign countries with the aim of restricting (if not stopping) the entry of unskilled and semi-skilled alien workers. The first paper from the Department of Employment indicated that swingeing cuts were possible in the intake of workers for the catering and other service trades (for which purpose most Hong Kong immigrants come). It will be a little time before the details are worked out but Mr Covington told me the other day that the result might very well be a virtual cessation in the intake of foreign workers from Hong Kong. The Governor of course is not aware of these

moves.

8. When a decision has been taken on whether to seek the agreement of other Departments to an increase in the Hong Kong permit quota to (say) 240, we can draft an appropriate reply for Sir Leslie Monson to send.

19 March 1971

TG Streeton

Migration and Visa Dept

MR C P SCOTT

1. We certainly cannot re-open the question of the quota of work permits for dependent territories for which we have accepted the ceiling of 400.

2. The Home Secretary's Memorandum which the Cabinet approved on 5 January did not specifically lay down how work permits were to be shared out between Malta and the dependent territories but it did specify a maximum of 2,000 of which half would be for Malta and the dependent territories and we are now committed to the figure of 600 for Malta. This being so, we can hardly agree to let Hong Kong take 75% of the dependent territories' permits. Apart from the fact that the demand for work permits from other territories may increase above its present low figure, it is the Government's intention that the total level of immigration should be reduced and Hong Kong is bound to take its share in this reduction.

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CONFIDENTIAL