C ; J 6 l l 6 7
COPY NO.
26thJ^aXi.l96l
CABINET
COMMONWEALTH MIGRANTS
Memojrandujm ,byJJbie JLc,IR d,j ^ a j i cjg NOR
On 16th F e b r u a r y the Cabinet i n v i t e d m e to a r r a n g e for the C o m m i t t e e
on C o m m o n w e a l t h M i g r a n t s to c o n s i d e r the f o r m which l e g i s l a t i o n to control
i m m i g r a t i o n f r o m the C o m m o n w e a l t h m i g h t take, and to bring the m a t t e r again
b e f o r e the Cabinet in due c o u r s e (C. C. (6l) 7th C o n c l u s i o n s , Minute 2).
2.
E e f o r e I deal s p e c i f i c a l l y with thi s q u e s t i o n the Cabinet may w i s h to
know of the r e c e n t s c a l e of c o l o u r e d i m m i g r a t i o n into this country. In the
f i r s t four months of 1961 n e a r l y 32, 000 c o l o u r e d i m m i g r a n t s a r r i v e d f r o m the
C o m m o n w e a l t h , co rrpared with 9, 300 in the c o r r e s p o n d i n g p e r i o d of I960.
The total net intake for I960 as a whole * i t s e l f a peak y e a r - w a s 58, 0 0 0 ,
and if the p r e s e n t t r e n d continues the total for 1961 w i l l be 150, 000 or
i
e v e n 200, 000. This c o m p a r e s with a n a t u r a l i n c r e a s e of about 2 0 0 , 000
p e r annum of the r e s i d e n t population of England and W a l e s . By the end of
t h i s y e a r t h e r e would be n e a r l y half a m i l l i 6 : . c o l o u r e d p e r s o n s in the United
Kingdom, and the figure might w e l l r i s e to 2 m i l l i o n s within the next
fifteen y e a r s . The v a s t m a j o r i t y of t h e s e i m m i g r a n t s a r e West Indians
( 1 8 , 5 0 0 s o far this y e a r ) , Indians and P a k i s t a n i s ( 5 , 0 0 0 in e a c h c a s e ) .
3.
U n c o n t r o l l e d c o l o u r e d i m m i g r a t i o n on thi s s c a l e i s putting a s e v e r e
s t r a i n on the housing situation in the a r e a s in which t h e s e p e o p l e c o n g r e g a t e ,
and t h e r e i s growing p a r l i a m e n t a r y and public c o n c e r n about the s o c i a l
c o n s e q u e n c e s . Although t h e r e i s at p r e s e n t r e l a t i v e l y l i t t l e u n e m p l o y m e n t
a m o n g s t the c o l o u r e d c o m m u n i t y the s i t u a t i o n in a r e c e s s i o n would be quite
s e r i o u s . The quality of the i m m i g r a n t s a p p e a r s to be d e t e r i o r a t i n g .
4.
F a c e d with th i s v e r y l a r g e i n c r e a s e in n u m b e r s the C o m m i t t e e a r e
unanimously of the opinion that the p r e s e n t state of a f f a i r s should not be
a l l o w e d to continue and that the G o v e r n m e n t should i n t r o d u c e l e g i s l a t i o n
to enable i m m i g r a t i o n f r o m the C o m m o n w e a l t h to be c o n t r o l l e d . In coming
t o this c o n c l u s i o n they f u l l y r e c o g n i s e that this a c t i o n would infringe the
h i s t o r i c right of C o m m o n w e a l t h c i t i z e n s f r e e l y to e n t e r and stay in t h e
United Kingdom, and a l s o that h o w e v e r c a r e f u l l y the l e g i s l a t i o n w e r e drafted
it would be r e p r e s e n t e d a s a m e a s u r e of d i s c r i m i n a t i o n a g a i n s t c o l o u r e d
p e o p l e . N e v e r t h e l e s s the C o m m i t t e e a r e a g r e e d that u n l e s s action is taken
this country m a y w e l l be confronted in the s p a c e of a few y e a r s with a
c o l o u r p r o b l e m approaching that of the United S t a t e s .
5.
T h e r e i s an important point of t i m i n g . In the f i r s t half of June the
Colonial S e c r e t a r y i s holding a c o n f e r e n c e in London with "West Indian
p o l i t i c a l l e a d e r s , a s a r e s u l t of which it i s hoped to launch the West Indies
F e d e r a t i o n into independence seme t i m e n e x t y e a r . F u t r t h e r m o r e in the
autumn t h e r e i s l i k e l y to be a r e f e r e n d u m in J a m a i c a (which would be
p a r t i c u l a r l y hit by any r e s t r i c t i o n on i m m i g r a t i o n t o the United Kingdom) on
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SECHET
the i s s u e of f e d e r a t i o n and it i s of vital i m p o r t a n c e that M r . Manley's party
should win it. F o r t h e s e r e a s o n s the C o m m i t t e e r e c o m m e n d that no public
announcement of our intentions should be m a d e until towards the end of
October at the e a r l i e s t . The C o m m i t t e e hope that the B i l l could find an
e a r l y p l a c e in the l e g i s l a t i v e p r o g r a m m e for the next s e s s i o n of P a r l i a m e n t .
The Colonial S e c r e t a r y i s of opinion h o w e v e r that the question i s bound to
be r a i s e d while the West Indian l e a d e r s a r e over h e r e for the Constitutional
C o n f e r e n c e , and if s o he f e e l s he would be bound to t e l l the J a m a i c a n P r e m i e r
and p e r h a p s ether s e n i o r M i n i s t e r s p r i v a t e l y that the G o v e r n m e n t w e r e
c o n s i d e r i n g the introduction of l e g i s l a t i o n l a t e r in the y e a r .
6.
A s to the f o r m of control the C o m m i t t e e have e x a m i n e d three
possible methods:­
(a)
A c o n t r o l b a s e d on p o s s e s s i o n of a c e r t i f i c a t e that housing
a c c o m m o d a t i o n i s a v a i l a b l e for the i m m i g r a n t .
(b)
A c o n t r o l by m e a n s of a health c h e c k .
(c)
S o m e f o r m of e m p l o y m e n t c o n t r o l .
7.
The C o m m i t t e e do not think that control through a housing c e r t i f i c a t e
would be w o r k a b l e : the p r a c t i c a l difficulties a r e too g r e a t . Nor do they think
that control by m e a n s of a health c h e c k would by i t s e l f be effective: the
v a s t m a j o r i t y of i m m i g r a n t s would f a i r l y r e a d i l y p a s s a s i m p l e check of
this nature.
8,
The C o m m i t t e e c o n s i d e r that the only p r a c t i c a l m e t h o d of control
would be one b a s e d on e m p l o y m e n t c r i t e r i a ( c o u r s e (c)). They have g i v e n
p r e l i m i n a r y c o n s i d e r a t i o n to such a s c h e m e which might be b a s e d on the
following l i n e s : ­
(a)
Skilled w o r k e r s , and i m m i g r a n t s coming to a s p e c i f i c job with
a n a m e d e m p l o y e r for which no r e s i d e n t labour was a v a i a b l e , would be
a l l o w e d in without r e s t r i c t i o n .
(b)
Other p o t e n t i a l i m m i g r a n t s would h a v e to apply by p o s t to the
M i n i s t r y of Labour, who would grant p e r m i t s on a "first c o m e f i r s t s e r v e d "
b a s i s , but with a b s o l u t e control o v e r the rate of flow.
The r a t e of flow would be a m a j o r G o v e r n m e n t d e c i s i o n b a s e d on the e c o n o m i c
s o c i a l and p o l i t i c a l conditions at the t i m e .
9.
The g r e a t m e r i t of this f o r m of control would be its f l e x i b i l i t y ,
s i n c e the G o v e r n m e n t could d e c i d e at any t i m e how many i m m i g r a n t s
w e r e to be a d m i t t e d in the ensuing p e r i o d . Another advantage would be that
it could be o p e r a t e d without any d i s t i n c t i o n on grounds of r a c e or c o l o u r ,
although in p r a c t i c e s i n c e m o s t of the i m m i g r a n t s f r o m the old Commonwealth
c o u n t r i e s would be e i t h e r s k i l l e d w o r k e r s or would be c o m i n g to a s p e c i f i c
job they would be u n l i k e l y to be m u c h a f f e c t e d . It would be c o m p a r a t i v e l y
s i m p l e to take p o w e r at the s a m e t i m e to r e f u s e a d m i s s i o n to any i m m i g r a n t
on h e a l t h g r o u n d s .
10.
T h e r e a r e h o w e v e r a number of difficulties in this s c h e m e which
will n e e d m u c h m o r e e x a m i n a t i o n . F o r i n s t a n c e ; how a r e we to identify
the group of people who w i l l continue to be a d m i t t e d to the United Kingdom
without r e s t r i c t i o n ; by c i t i z e n s h i p , r e s i d e n c e , b i r t h ? Can we e x e m p t
i m m i g r a n t s f r o m the Irish Republic f r o m the control; and if s o how can
we stop c o l o u r e d p e r s o n s evading the control by entering the United Kingdom
via that c o u n t r y ? How would the control be r e c o n c i l e d with a p o s s i b l e
c o m m i t m e n t , if we joined the Six, to a l l o w f r e e d o m of m o v e m e n t of p e r s o n s
into the United Kingdom f r o m the Community c o u n t r i e s ? Should we a l s o
take p o w e r to deport t h o s e i m m i g r a n t s who p r o v e t h e m s e l v e s u n d e s i r a b l e
or who do not fulfil the conditions of a d m i s s i o n to this c o u n t r y ? And b e s i d e s
t h e s e q u e s t i o n s t h e r e aire m a n y p r a c t i c a l difficulties to be o v e r c o m e at the
ports.
11.
The C o m m i t t e e have r e m i t t e d t h e s e points for further d e t a i l e d
e x a m i n a t i o n by o f f i c i a l s , and they p r o p o s e to give further c o n s i d e r a t i o n
to t h e m at an e a r l y d a t e , with a v i e w to m a k i n g another r e p o r t to the
Cabinet b e f o r e the s u m m e r r e c e s s .
12.
In the m e a n t i m e on behalf of the C o m m i t t e e I s e e k m y c o l l e a g u e s '
e n d o r s e m e n t of the c o u r s e s outlined in this m e m o r a n d u m .
K.
1
Lord C h a n c e l l o r s D e p a r t m e n t ,
S. W . l .
26th May, 1961
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