TNAG-0334-FCO40-370-Visits-of-Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-Af-1972 — Page 52

CONFIDENTIAL

order to permit an increase in the rate of admission of United

Kingdom passport holders from East Africa the Department of

Employment announced on 26 May 1971 a reduction from 8500 to 2700

in the number of employment vouchers to be issued each year to

Commonwealth citizens and alterations in the categories of

employment and qualifications which would entitle applicants to

vouchers. Previously a total of 600 vouchers had been reserved

each year for the dependent territories - no more than 50 per cent

of which were to be issued to any one territory and the maximum

of 300 employment vouchers was consistently taken up by applicants

from Hong Kong. In line with the general reduction in the number

of vouchers available, those allocated for the dependent

territories were reduced from 600 to 400 no more than 50 per cent

of which may go to any one territory. The upper limit is

consequently 200 for Hong Kong.

Hong Kong will therefore be affect-

ed by the overall reduction in the number of Commonwealth citizens

permitted to enter the United Kingdom for employment.

7. The revised employment voucher scheme aims to concentrate the intake on persons with skills or professional qualifications to

offer. This principle is not being applied to applications from

the dependent territories. Unskilled and semi skilled workers from Hong Kong will continue to be accepted.

ease

8. A bone of contention in Hong Kong has been the apparent with which alien Chinese are granted work permits as compared with

the granting of employment vouchers. There is some justification

for this concern. However, the policy on the intake of alien

workers has been changed and it is Ministers' intention to make a /substantial

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CONFIDENTIAL