§ LORD O'HAGAN: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will produce forecasts of the requirements by the United Kingdom of immigrant labour for the next few years.]
§ LORD DENHAMMy Lords, the Government will be able to make an announcement about the future intake of immigrant labour into Great Britain when they have completed their review of the relation between the current intake of overseas workers and our manpower needs.
§ LORD O'HAGANWhen, my Lords?
§ LORD DENHAMMy Lords, I am afraid that I cannot give the noble Lord that information.
§ LORD O'HAGANMy Lords, is it not rather peculiar to be having to debate White Papers about the Common Market and an Immigration Bill without having these highly relevant figures? Could the noble Lord perhaps get some help from the noble Lord, Lord Rothschild?
§ LORD DENHAMMy Lords, my right honourable friend is quite right in having this review carried out to balance, on the one side, the unemployment problem in this country, and, on the other side, the wish of immigrants to come here. That is the sole purpose of the review that is being carried out. It is very much better that the review should be a 973 thorough one to give my right honourable friend the information that he needs, rather than that he should set any time limit.
§ LORD O'HAGANMy Lords, I accept that reply, of course, and I thank the noble Lord. But has it not been known for some time that the future manpower needs of this country would be being discussed, both when we were thinking about the Common Market and when we were thinking about the Immigration Bill? Would it not have been manageable to have got this forecast going and come to a conclusion by the time that your Lordships' House had to discuss these two important matters?
§ LORD DENHAMNo, my Lords. It is difficult to work out exactly what the manpower needs will be. Even this review will not produce a long-term forecast. It is most important that everything should be flexible on this matter.