CONFIDENTIAL
services. There are obvious resource implications for the central
Departments concerned with these services, and for local
authorities.
4. To minimise these implications, it will also be vital to
maintain the cooperation and goodwill of the voluntary agencies
that play a very significant role in assisting refugees when they
first arrive.
5.
Nevertheless, such measures, however successful, will not
totally stem the secondary flow of migrants to London. Nor can
they stop the legitimate reunion of refugees with families already in the pressure areas and such cases will represent
about a third of the expected intake.
-
Possible further action
6.
If colleagues believe that further measures are needed to
prevent refugees making our difficulties worse, and to overcome
the magnetism of the capital, we are faced with some very
unpalatable options. Any action must avoid obvious favouritism
in housing, employment, or financial support, which would tend to
erode public sympathy for and acceptance of the refugee
populations. I have therefore continued my predecessor's work in looking at the possibility of preventive action, designed to
counteract the tendency to concentrate, and to check any drift to
the South East. We have examined two broad options.
CONFIDENTIAL (3)
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.