Written question asked by Lord Swire (Conservative) on Monday, 28 April 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 30 April 2008. It was answered by Liam Byrne (Labour) on Thursday, 12 June 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Immigration: Catering

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the demand for and supply of labour in the ethnic catering business and the effect on immigration policies; whether she plans to give consideration to placing all ethnic catering on the shortage occupation list; and how many immigration enforcement raids there have been in the last 12 months in (a) the UK and (b) the south-west on catering outlets.

Answer: It will be for the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to make an assessment of labour market conditions in particular sectors of the economy and advise whether, as a consequence, particular occupations should appear on the shortage occupation list. The MAC has been tasked with producing a shortage occupation list in June 2008.Internal management information, which may be subject to change, indicates that there were a total of 3,473 enforcement visits carried out at restaurants and takeaways in 2007-08 of which 420 were carried out in Wales and the south-west for the same period.

Secondary information