Emigration

HC Deb 09 July 1963 vol 680 cc1022-4

3. Mr. Brockway

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what undertakings have been given to the Government of Malta regarding a modification of the immigration restrictions on its citizens when they wish to come to the United Kingdom.

Mr. Fisher

None, Sir.

Mr. Brockway

Has the attention of the hon. Gentleman been drawn to a report to the effect that the Secretary of State made a statement in Malta in which he suggested that there were great possibilities for immigration to this country? If that is the case, and while recognising the needs of the Maltese people, does it not make nonsense of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, since unemployment and the pressure of population is greater in many of the West Indian territories?

Mr. Fisher

My right hon. Friend pointed out that there were some vacant jobs in the south of England and that Maltese would be welcome to fill them. On the West Indian point, the comparable numbers are very small. We have about 1,000 Maltese coming here every year and we propose to try to step that number up to about 2,000. In the West Indian context, it will be within the hon. Member's recollection that Barbados has already a very successful scheme similar to this one—concentrating on recruitment to London Transport—which has been operating for a long time. We are trying to give the Maltese the same facilities.

19. Mr. G. M. Thomson

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proposals he has for extending to other parts of the Commonwealth, other than the United Kingdom, his scheme for planned emigration from Malta.

Mr. Fisher

Plans for emigration are the responsibility of the Malta Government. But we are of course ready to do all we can to assist them.

Mr. Thomson

Butis the hon. Gentleman aware that, while we welcome the offer of emigration facilities given by his right hon. Friend to Malta, we think that Her Majesty's Government have put themselves in the position of appearing to discriminate in immigration in favour of a European Colony and against the coloured Colonies of the West Indies? Is he aware that Malta already has emigration facilities to Australia which are denied to the West Indies, so will he ensure that the West Indies get full and equal treatment with Malta?

Mr. Fisher

There is certainly no question of colour discrimination at all. We are helping the Government of Malta, at their request, with the planned emigration to this country such as has been long adopted by West Indian Governments such as Barbados, and this, of course, will all fall strictly within the terms of the Commonwealth Immigration Act. There is no question of discrimination. Some hon. Members may feel—I certainly do—that as the unemployment situation in Malta is partly, at any rate, due to our defence run-down, we have, perhaps, a special responsibility to Malta.

Mr. Ronald Bell

Will my hon. Friend bear in mind that it is really absurd to encourage any territories, white or coloured, to send population surpluses to this overcrowded island, particularly so when the encouragement is, as in this case, to send them to what are described as jobs in southern England? Is not the whole idea of our policy to decrease the number of people crowding into southern England?

Mr. Fisher

AsI said in reply to an earlier supplementary question, the scale of this encouragement to the Maltese is minimal, putting it up by about 1,000 only, which would not make much difference. We are concerned mainly to help Maltese emigration to other parts of the Commonwealth, such as Australia, which badly need it.

Mr. Thomson

Since the Under-secretary is saying that there is no substantial change in the announcement by his right hon. Friend, and since there is a widespread misunderstanding of the Government's position in the West Indies, may I ask whether he will now tell the West Indies Government that the Government are ready to negotiate with them planned emigration facilities for Barbados similar to those for Malta?

Mr. Fisher

There is no question of negotiation. Malta asked whether we could make facilities available for a retired official from the Ministry of Labour to help to place these people in jobs. We did that and the Ministry of Labour found a very senior and excellent official, now retired from the Ministry, who is working for the Malta Government at the Malta Commission in London. We can certainly arrange this for other territories.