In the context of a systematic investigation of monitor reactions for charged particle beams, a detailed compilation and critical comparison of the earlier published data for the n a t Cu(α,x) 6 6 Ga, n a t Cu(α,x) 6 7 Ga and n a t Cu(α,x) 6 5 Zn reactions have been performed. To solve the surprisingly large discrepancies found in the literature we also performed a new series of cross-section measurements up to 40 MeV for the above mentioned reactions. We discuss the reasons for the discrepancies and provide reliable numerical values for a recommended database. The new experimental values and selected literature data were compared with the predictions of different model calculations. The selected experimental data sets were fitted using different methods to obtain recommended values.