Written question asked by Adam Afriyie (Conservative) on Friday, 28 October 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 1 November 2005. It was answered by Tony McNulty (Labour) on Thursday, 24 November 2005 on behalf of the Home Office.

Asylum/Immigration

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has evaluated on the implications of setting a limit on immigration to the United kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: As set out in the Home Office Five Year Strategy for Asylum and Immigration, the Government encourages migration for work through a flexible system that is principally employer-led and responsive to market needs. In a flexible and dynamic labour market such as that of the UK, it is considered to be impractical and counter-productive to try and set limits in a rigid and arbitrary way. Such limits could prevent the UK bringing in the skilled workers we need.Detailed work is being progressed on the development of the proposals for a new points based migration system contained in the consultation document: Selective Admission: Making migration work for Britain. The Government intends to publish a formal response to the consultation next year.

Secondary information