Attorney General hires UK student visa overstayer as housekeeper
September 17 2009 by Mark Johnstone
Baroness Scotland
Baroness Scotland, the UK’s Attorney General, has been employing a housekeeper from Tonga, who has been working in the UK illegally.
Loloahi Tapui moved to the UK on a student visa, which has since expired, leaving the Tongan without a valid UK visa enabling her to work in the UK.
The housekeeper, whose duties included walking the dog and general cleaning, ‘paid’ tax and national insurance during her time working for the Attorney General. She did this by using the National Insurance number she was given when she was studying in the UK legally.
A spokesperson for Lady Scotland said that the Baroness had seen documents that “led her to believe that Ms Tapui was entitled to work in this country.”
The spokesperson continued, “at no stage prior to the matter being raised today did Baroness Scotland believe there was any question over Ms Tapui's entitlement to work. Ms Tapui has now been dismissed with immediate effect.”
Tapui, along with other unregistered immigrants, are sometimes able to slip under the net due to poor communication between the Home Office and HM Revenue and Customs, which deals with tax and National Insurance collection.
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