§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Employment on what date he received from the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Limited applications for work permits for two Argentinians by the names of Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa; and whether, in view of the availability of labour to fill these vacancies, he will be granting these applications.
§ Mr. John GrantApplications for work permits from Tottenham Hotspur Football Club in respect of Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa were received by my Department on 14th July. As I stated in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Woolwich, East (Mr. Cartwright) on 21st July, the views of the Football Association, Football League and the890W Professional Footballers Association have been requested. The availability of resident labour to fill these vacancies is one of several matters concerning which my Department requires information before a decision can be made on granting the applications. I expect the consultation process to be completed on Monday 31st July, and a decision on the work permit applications will be taken as soon as possible thereafter.