§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will give for the longest and most convenient stated period of time the number of application forms OW1 that have been returned to his Department and the number of permits granted.
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§ Mr. John FraserStatistics are kept of work permits issued and refused. For the period 1st January 1973 to 31st December 1975 95,962 permits including permissions given to overseas workers already in Great Britain were issued and 17,140 refused. The figure of 95,962 includes 35,887 permits including permissions issued for less than 12 months.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will take action during the present period of very heavy unemployment to stop natives of overseas countries from obtaining work permits to work in this country.
§ Mr. John FraserMy Department will continue to apply rigorously the rule that a permit is not issued unless it is satisfied that there are no suitable workers available here for the job concerned and that generally the job must involve a high level of skill. I hope shortly to make an announcement about work permits for the hotel and catering industry following discussions with both sides of the industry and with the Manpower Services Commission.