Written question asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Neville-Jones (Conservative) on Friday, 22 October 2010.

Immigration

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the eight Nobel Laureates who wrote to the Times on 7 October expressing concern about the impact of a cap on immigration on the United Kingdom's ability to attract leading scientists.

Answer: The Minister for Immigration responded to the Times' article of 7 October and his letter appeared in the Times on 11 October. In that response, the Minister stated: "““There will still be room for the brightest and best—such as top scientists, entrepreneurs and workers with key skills—but we will no longer import foreign workers for jobs that can be done by a domestic labour force that includes 2.5 million unemployed people.""This is a system that works very well in countries including Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and with the help of all those who have responded constructively to our consultation, we will make it a success in Britain, too””."

Secondary information