HC Deb 12 December 1991 vol 200 cc507-8W
Mr. Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EC member states have a specific definition of au pair; and in how many cases this definition is confined to women.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

We do not have this information.

Mr. Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many au pairs in the United Kingdom for each of the last five years have entered from(a) each other EC member state, (b) other Commonwealth countries and (c) the rest of the world.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Entry to the United Kingdom as an au pair is restricted to unmarried girls and women aged between 17 and 27 who are nationals of the following countries: the member states of the European Community, Andorra, Austria, Cyprus, the Faeroes, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Yugoslavia; and from 1 January 1992 Czechoslovakia and Hungary. We do not keep records of the entry of EC nationals. Information relating to other nationalities is contained in the annual publication "Control of Immigration: Statistics, United Kingdom," copies of which are in the Library.

Mr. Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has of abuse of au pair arrangements by women seeking to settle in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

We are not aware of significant abuse of these arrangements.

Mr. Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy on extending the definition of au pair to include men.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

I have no plans to extend the au pair scheme to men.

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