Dáil debates au pairs ruling

A Fianna Fáil TD believes she and thousands of other families are efficiently classified as criminals because of a lack of regulation around au pairs.

In the Dáil last night, Anne Rabbitte said there is no legal definition of au pairs, a situation which has created a “legal lacuna” for host families and au pairs.

She highlighted a recent Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) ruling on au pair payments, which, said Ms Rabbitte, “threatens to undermine the tradition of au pair exchanges”.