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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER
BY DEPUTY S.S.P.A POWER OF ST BRELADE ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 18th MARCH 2014
Question
Does the Chief Minister consider that the problem of net inward migration to Jersey needs to be tackled at the point of entry and specifically those seeking employment at the entry level work areas in the registered area?
Does the Chief Minister consider that existing controls at Jersey's Airport and Harbour to control daily arrivals seeking work in Jersey, mostly from the European Union (EU), are ineffective?
Does the Chief Minister accept that a work permit system should be introduced to control the daily arrivals to ensure immigrants are pre-approved before arriving at the point of entry?
Does the Chief Minister agree that Jersey, as it is not a Member of the EU, should be able to exercise some effective independent control over its own immigration policy and border control in a similar manner to Switzerland, which recently agreed to re-introduce strict quotas for immigration from European Union countries ?
Answer
The people of Jersey enjoy, as one of their long-standing constitutional privileges, the right to travel freely between the Island and the United Kingdom. This longstanding right of free movement within the British Isles would be infringed through the establishment of fixed controls at points of entry.
We are, therefore, committed to preserving the Common Travel Area (CTA) and its benefits for all Islanders, while supporting the Customs & Immigration Service as it seeks to ensure safeguards against any abuse of the CTA.
The Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012 has introduced improved controls over where people can live and work, including enhanced enforcement powers and associated visits to ports.