§ 17. Sir John Mellorasked the Minister of Labour approximately the normal interval of time between an application for a permit for an alein immigrant to work in this country and the notification of the Ministry's decision.
§ Mr. E. BrownThe interval of time which necessarily elapses between the receipt of an application for a permit and the notification of the decision depends on the nature and extent of the enquiries which are found to be necessary. Owing to the diversity of occupations in respect of which permits are applied for and of the circumstances in which such applications are made it is impossible to define any interval as "normal." I can assure my hon. Friend that there are no avoidable delays, having regard to the volume of the work and the investigations which, in most cases, are necessary.