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Migrant Domestic Workers (Visas)

That is also a tribute to the influence and luck of the hon. Gentleman in managing to persuade the Speaker's Office to pull his name out of the hat for this debate. I pay tribute to his skill in ensuring that it has taken place. We are talking about hundreds of workers who have a diplomatic domestic visa, but not thousands. Indeed, it could be dozens a year, rather than hundreds, but every one is significant and important. Their lives are ruined as a result of what is happening to them. When I visited Kalayaan some months ago, I met a girl who was so desperate because of her lifestyle that she escaped from the diplomat's house and went along bus queues in the street asking for money for food. She was sleeping rough because she did not know what to do. We cannot have that happening in London or in Britain. Just a stroke of the Minister's pen could change the situation. All we need to do is ensure that the diplomatic visa allows the domestic to move from an employer. That is all it would take, but they are barred from moving from their employer.