In every respect bar one the statistics released yesterday about the Workers Registration Scheme for those seeking employment from the eight ex-Communist nations that joined the EU in 2004 demonstrate a success story. The exception is that the numbers are far, far higher than the Home Office forecast before this programme started. The official estimate was that between 5,000 and 13,000 individuals a year would arrive. The actual final tally of applications accepted from May 2004 to June 2006 was 427,000, a figure that is almost certainly an underestimation, as it excludes the self-employed — such as electricians, plumbers and the building trade.

There will be some who argue that the size of this total is itself damning. That is mistaken. All this activity has spurred economic growth and produced tax receipts that otherwise would not have been forthcoming. Many of these workers have entered unfashionable sectors of employment — agricultural labour and social care — that have experienced serious recruitment difficulties for decades. Their wages may be modest, but they are emphatically not a drain on the benefits system.

This is illustrated by the detailed data that became available yesterday. A resounding 97 per cent of those registered are in full-time employment. More than 80 per cent are aged between 18 and 34. Only 7 per cent have brought dependants to Britain. With this level of economic energy, it is hardly surprising that the numbers who are claiming benefits of various kinds are tiny. A negligible 193 people have been awarded income support, 564 have been granted jobseeker’s allowance, 453 are now on homelessness assistance and 110 (or 0.04 per cent of all allocations in this time) were assigned council housing. The cost-benefit analysis here is an open-and-shut case.

This is in large part because the regulations concerning the Workers Registration Scheme are demanding. Those who are economically inactive have to prove that they are financially self-sufficient to be allowed a right to reside. Only those in work are permitted to apply for (but can be, and often are, denied) the likes of housing benefit or tax credits. Any person must experience a year of consistent legal employment before being eligible for jobseeker’s allowance or income support.

Ministers must soon decide what approach to take towards the potential workers from Bulgaria and Romania, assuming those nations accede to the EU next year as planned. They could introduce a similar scheme to the current one or, like other large economies within the EU, the Government might seek to make it harder for Bulgarians and Romanians to secure employment in Britain for many years to come.

The optimal approach would be to follow the basic Workers Registration Scheme model but further tighten the limits on benefits to ensure this programme is not abused. It has been alleged that those who would want to come to Britain from Bulgaria and Romania might not be as young as their Polish or Lithuanian counterparts, and so are more likely to bring in dependants who would impose fresh strain on schools and hospitals. It would thus be sensible to insist that applicants should engage in uninterrupted employment for two full years before having access to work-related benefits. These are not rules that will act as a deterrent for the vast majority who want to work. In short, immigration is working.