§ Mr. Priorasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many foreign workers in hotel and catering were granted special work permits in each of the last three years to the most convenient date.
§ Mr. John GrantWork permits are generally available only for work requiring a professional qualification, skill or experience, but in the hotel and catering industry, permits may also be issued for work below skilled level.
There is a special quota of permits for this industry, which is reviewed annually. There is no other sense in which special permits are issued for this industry.
342WThe intention is to phase out these special arrangements. The quota for 1977 has been fixed at a level much lower than in previous years. Permits for unskilled workers are confined to seasonal work and given only in exceptional circumstances.
Following are the figures of permits issued under the quota:
For foreign workers 1974 … … … … 3,551 1975 … … … … 7,496 1976 … … … … 3,147 For Commonwealth workers 1974 … … … … 107 1975 … … … … 824 1976 … … … … 273 Annual Quota 1974 … … … … 5,000 1975 … … … … 8,500 1976 … … … … 6,000 NOTE. In 1974 the quota applied to men only and permits for women were issued outside it; from 1975 the quota has applied to women as well. It covers all but the exceptionally highly skilled.
The quota for 1977 is 2,000. In the first six months, about 1,050 permits have been issued, about 980 of which were for foreign nationals and the rest for Commonwealth citizens.