View report page

87
Seventy-five of the immigrants came under either au pair arrangements
or to take up posts (generally domestic) at either a hospital or at a school.
Thirty-two of the immigrants, mainly of Caribbean or Asian origin, left
the district almost as soon as they arrived. This was generally for an
address unknown to the householder or, if known, not divulged—
invariably one of the Midland towns was named. Forty-seven notifications
were received where either the wrong address was given to the Immigration
Authorities or the fact that an immigrant had arrived was not admitted.
In seven cases the arrival of immigrants caused the premises to become
overcrowded—in these cases, action appropriate to the circumstances was
taken.
At one time, whenever a person from Cyprus wished to enter the
country their legation in London wrote enquiring if the accommodation to
which the immigrant intended to proceed was satisfactory.
It is a pity that something on these lines could not be introduced in
respect of the present flow of immigrants, for many appear to be giving
either a false or an accommodation address simply to satisfy the requirement
of one or other of the Authorities concerned.
It is, in fact, questionable if the time and effort involved in endeavouring
to contact immigrants is worthwhile, as in the majority of cases their
entry is organised for them by relatives or business friends well versed in
local and other health service matters. The small minority who enter as
"unknowns" appear to become lost from the moment they arrive—these,
so far as Harrow is concerned, are among the 47 giving wrong addresses to
the Port Authorities.
Medical Assessments and Examinations