Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether anyone entering the United Kingdom accompanying an employer on a Domestic Workers in a Private Household visa since 2009 has disclosed abuse perpetrated by their employer.

The Home Office does not collect data on disclosures of abuse by applicants for, or those entering the United Kingdom on, domestic worker visas. However, disclosures of abuse perpetrated by employers do occur. Analysis of Home Office management information indicates that of the 1,623 trafficking cases which were confirmed between May 2009 and May 2015, 71 were linked to people who had previously been issued an overseas domestic worker visa. This includes the Domestic Workers in a Private Household visa and the Private Servants in a Diplomatic Household visa issued under the International Agreement category of Tier 5 of the Points Based System. The Government has asked James Ewins, an expert on modern slavery, to carry out an independent review of the overseas domestic worker visas, which will consider whether they are effective in protecting potential victims from abuse. Mr Ewins is due to report in July.