§ Mr. StunellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many overseas domestic workers have been admitted to the United Kingdom in each year since the 1979 Immigration Rules concession came into force; and if he will make a statement. [8525]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienComprehensive information on domestic workers admitted to the United Kingdom is not available. Information is available on domestic workers granted entry clearance in 1995 by the 21 posts in the Middle East and Far East which are likely to have dealt with the vast majority of applications by domestic workers. Some 14,000 entry clearances were issued by those posts to domestic workers, the great majority to servants accompanying their employers on a visit to the United Kingdom. I regret that corresponding information for other years is not available.