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Mr. Malins
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits to enter and work in the UK have been applied for in each of the last 24 months; and how many have been granted in each of the last 24 months. [113600]
Beverley Hughes
Between 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2003 Work Permits considered a total of 331,277 applications for work permits, of which 297,331 were approved. The following table provides a monthly breakdown of the number of work permits approved and refused during that period:
| Month | Approved | Refused | Total Number of Applications |
| 2001 | |||
| April | 10,595 | 673 | 11,268 |
| May | 12,453 | 669 | 13,122 |
| June | 12,674 | 696 | 13,370 |
| July | 12,682 | 832 | 13,514 |
| August | 12,439 | 1,005 | 13,444 |
| September | 10,701 | 933 | 11,634 |
| October | 12,288 | 1,012 | 13,300 |
| November | 10,865 | 797 | 11,662 |
| December | 9,014 | 831 | 9,845 |
| January | 12,493 | 1,178 | 13,671 |
| February | 10,917 | 1,287 | 12,204 |
| March | 12,452 | 1,527 | 13,979 |
| 2002 | |||
| April | 13,627 | 1,560 | 15,187 |
| May | 14,301 | 1,363 | 15,664 |
| June | 12,223 | 1,068 | 13,291 |
| July | 15,499 | 1,466 | 16,965 |
| August | 13,860 | 1,431 | 15,291 |
| September | 13,239 | 1,639 | 14,878 |
| October | 13,439 | 2,351 | 15,790 |
| November | 11,778 | 2,093 | 13,871 |
| December | 10,615 | 1,728 | 12,343 |
| January | 13,117 | 2,543 | 15,660 |
| February | 11,818 | 2,730 | 14,548 |
| March | 14,242 | 2,534 | 16,776 |
| Total | 297,331 | 33,946 | 331,277 |