Sir,

Mark Elborne (Thunderer, Sept 20) makes a convincing case for business to be able to recruit highly skilled workers from outside the EU as a stop-gap solution until British workers can be trained. We entirely agree with him. That is exactly what our immigration system should be designed to do.

Unfortunately, there are several large categories of visas now being granted which are not at the behest of businesses with specific needs. Instead they allow tens of thousands to arrive or remain here "on spec" to look for a job. With 2.5 million unemployed these channels should be suspended immediately, thus providing "headroom" for those workers specifically required by business.

Nevertheless, some limits there must be or employers will have no incentive to train British workers. The Government had no choice but to impose a temporary cap to avoid a rush of applications. This has inevitably led to some difficult cases. The task now is to design a framework for the coming years that will meet the legitimate requirements of business, while contributing to meeting the political requirement to cut back the mass immigration that has developed over the past decade, and to which the public are so firmly opposed.

Nicholas Soames MP (Con) and Frank Field MP (Lab):-

Co-Chairmen, Cross-Party Group on Balanced Migration,

House of Commons