HC Deb 15 May 1969 vol 783 cc259-60W
50. Sir D. Renton

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he now uses to define the category of Commonwealth citizens admitted for settlement in his official statistics; and what is the relationship between the figure of 10,118 of such admissions in the first quarter of 1969 and the official net immigration figure of 23,573 for the same quarter.

Mr. Merlyn Rees

The figure of 10,118 comprises those Commonwealth citizens classified in the Home Office statistics as employment voucher holders, dependants and other persons coming for settlement. There is no direct relationship between this figure and the net figure of 23,573, which represents the balance of all arri- vals over all departures, including visitors, students and others admitted temporarily.

51. Sir D. Renton

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the net immigration from Commonwealth territories other than Canada, Australia, New Zealand and those in the Mediterranean in the first quarter of 1969; and how this compares with the number for the corresponding period of 1968.

Mr. Merlyn Rees

Figures of admission for settlement provide the only reliable indication of the rate of immigration from the Commonwealth. The comparative settlement figures for the first quarters of 1968 and 1969, excluding those countries referred to, are as follows:

ADMISSION FOR SETTLEMENT FROM COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES OTHER THAN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, CYPRUS, GIBRALTAR, MALTA AND NEW ZEALAND*
January-March, 1968 January-March, 1969
Voucher holders 927 714
Dependants 11,210 7,788
Others admitted for settlement 440 775
12,577 9,277
* United Kingdom passport holders not included.