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1693842

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the needs of an unaccompanied minor placed in the care of a local authority; and what assessment his Department has made of the ability of local authorities to meet those needs.
	tabling member constituency	Darlington
	tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
	uin	17195
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2024 answer text <p>Local authorities have a statutory duty under S20 of the Children Act 1989 to look after children in need in their area. This includes unaccompanied asylum seeking (UAS) children who either arrive in a local authority area or are transferred there under the mandated National Transfer Scheme. The National Transfer Scheme provides a mechanism for the statutory responsibility for an UAS child to be transferred from an entry local authority to another local authority in the UK for ongoing care and support.</p><p>The decision for any UAS child to be referred to the NTS for transfer lies with the local authorities as the child’s corporate parent. The NTS Protocol sets out the criteria for referring a child to the NTS which can be found here: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Funaccompanied-asylum-seeking-children-interim-national-transfer-scheme&amp;data=05%7C02%7CASRA-briefingcorrespondence%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C49fe4aeb9651414d4afa08dc3de1a83c%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C638453286591981059%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=%2FD0M2X%2BLgQ6tXtguN%2B%2FsxR3eBL%2BPXSMAS9fs6kRW%2B1w%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Unaccompanied asylum seeking children: national transfer scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p>When a child is being looked after by a local authority, that local authority is under a duty to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare under the Children Act 1989.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 13/03/2024 17:54:22 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1693844

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much and what proportion of the cost of caring for an unaccompanied minor asylum seeker with special needs who has been placed in the care of a local authority is paid for by his Department.
	tabling member constituency	Darlington
	tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
	uin	17197
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2024 answer text <p>In addition to money for children's social care that local authorities receive through the Local Government Finance Settlement and finance arrangements which apply to the Devolved Administrations, the Home Office provides additional funding contributions to the costs incurred by local government in looking after unaccompanied asylum seeking (UAS) children and former UAS childcare leavers.</p><p>Local authorities supporting the greatest number of UAS children relative to their child population receive the higher rate of £143 per child per night for each UAS child.  This higher rate applies to local authorities supporting UAS children totalling 0.07% or greater of their general child population.  All other local authorities receive £114 per person per night for each UAS child in their care.   In addition, any local authority who accept the responsibility for a UAS child from a higher rate receiving local authority will receive the higher rate of £143 per child per night. This funding is not ring-fenced, and local authorities are free to use this funding as they see fit to support children in their care.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 13/03/2024 17:53:57 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1693617

	registered interest
	date	04/03/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report entitled A re-inspection of the use of hotels for housing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, published by his Department in February 2024, what steps he is taking to ensure the (a) safety and (b) welfare of unaccompanied child asylum seekers in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	16978
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>Since the two ICIBI inspections in 2022 and 2023, the Home Office has taken positive steps with our partners which has resulted in the closure of all 7 hotels for UAS children. The Home Office has provided details of its formal response to the recommendations and had already progressed activity linked to those recommendations prior to the hotels closing.</p><p>On both occasions of inspection, the ICIBI found that the children accommodated at the interim hotels reported they felt ‘happy and safe’ and spoke well of the staff caring for them.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 16977 question first answered 12/03/2024 12:07:53 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1685564

	registered interest
	date	29/01/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2024 to Questions 8423 and 8424 on Asylum: Children, for what reason his Department is unable to provide the figures requested.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	11778
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2024 answer text <p>The specific data requested cannot be provided as it comes from live operational databases that have not been quality assured. Additionally, the Home Office does not hold the requested data in a reportable format.</p><p>There are currently no unaccompanied children in hotels. Of the 7 hotels which were operational in 2022, 6 of those were closed permanently on 30 November 2023 and the last remaining hotel will close on 31 January 2024.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 01/02/2024 12:13:20 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1684779

	registered interest
	date	24/01/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children seeking asylum were in Home Office hotel accommodation as of 24 January 2024.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow Central
	tabling member printed	Alison Thewliss
	uin	11353
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2024 answer text <p>As of the 24 January 2024, there were no children accommodated in the remaining UASC hotel.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 29/01/2024 17:23:19 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4430 label Biography information for Alison Thewliss

1684484

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugee children were wrongly assessed to be adults by the Home Office between January 2022 and June 2023; and if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the report by the Refugee Council together with Helen Bamber Foundation and Humans for Rights Network entitled Forced Adulthood, published on 23 January 2024.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	11046
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office does not publish the data requested, as this cannot currently be collected via national reporting systems. Our published data on age assessment can be accessed <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets" target="_blank">here</a> which includes the number of age disputes raised and resolved. and whether the decision found the individual to be under or over 18.</p><p>Our age assessment policies for immigration purposes seek to protect genuine minors and identify those who are adults. Determining the age of a young person is an inherently difficult task and therefore, the age assessment process for immigration purposes contains a number of safeguards.</p><p>Where a new arrival does not have genuine documentary evidence of their age and their claimed age is doubted, an initial age decision is conducted as a first step to prevent individuals who are clearly an adult or child from being subjected unnecessarily to a more substantive age assessment and ensure that new arrivals are routed into the correct accommodation and processes for assessing their asylum or immigration claim.</p><p>The Home Office will only treat an individual claiming to be a child as an adult, without conducting further enquiries, if two Home Office members of staff independently determine that the individual's physical appearance and demeanour very strongly suggests they are significantly over 18 years of age. The lawfulness of this process was endorsed by the Supreme Court in the case of R (on the application of BF (Eritrea)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 38.</p><p>Where doubt remains and an individual cannot be assessed to be significantly over 18, they will be treated as a child for immigration purposes until further assessment of their age by a local authority.</p><p>The Home Office is currently considering the contents and recommendations of the report by the Refugee Council together with Helen Bamber Foundation and Humans for Rights Network entitled Forced Adulthood, published on 23 January 2024.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 31/01/2024 12:45:22 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1680352

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children seeking asylum have spent at least one night in hotel accommodation provided by the Home Office in the last 3 months.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	8423
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2024 answer text <p>The High Court has upheld that local authorities have a statutory duty to care for UASC. We have always maintained that the best place for unaccompanied children to be accommodated is within a local authority. The High Court recently noted that improvements, plus impressive collaboration between the Home Office and Kent County Council, has led to a significant fall in the number of lone children being accommodated in hotels.</p><p>Since 18 November 2023, the one remaining hotel in Kent has remained empty. Of the 7 hotels which were operational in 2022, 6 of those were closed permanently on 30 November 2023.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 8424 question first answered 11/01/2024 17:50:05 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1680353

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children seeking asylum were placed in hotel accommodation by the Home Office in the last three months, broken down by number of nights spent in that accomodation.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	8424
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2024 answer text <p>The High Court has upheld that local authorities have a statutory duty to care for UASC. We have always maintained that the best place for unaccompanied children to be accommodated is within a local authority. The High Court recently noted that improvements, plus impressive collaboration between the Home Office and Kent County Council, has led to a significant fall in the number of lone children being accommodated in hotels.</p><p>Since 18 November 2023, the one remaining hotel in Kent has remained empty. Of the 7 hotels which were operational in 2022, 6 of those were closed permanently on 30 November 2023.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 8423 question first answered 11/01/2024 17:50:05 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1678594

	registered interest
	date	18/12/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 56(d) of the judgement of 28 November 2023 of Mr. Justice Chamberlain, in the case of R (on the application of Kent County Council) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2023], whether he plans to commence the provisions of the 2023 Act.
	tabling member constituency	Aberavon
	tabling member printed	Stephen Kinnock
	uin	7334
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2024 answer text <p>The Illegal Migration Act received Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act seeks to ensure the only way to come to the UK for protection will be through safe and legal routes and will take power out of the hands of the criminal gangs and protect vulnerable people, including children.</p><p> </p><p>Following the High Court ECPAT judgment and Supreme Court judgment on Rwanda, the Government is carefully reflecting on commencement of the powers in the Act, including those relating to the accommodation and transfer of unaccompanied children.</p><p> </p><p>These powers have not yet been commenced and a decision will be made in due course. The Act does not change a local authority’s statutory obligations to children from the date of arrival and that the best place for an unaccompanied child is in the care of a local authority. This is something the Government was consistently clear about during the Illegal Migration Act’s passage through Parliament.</p><p> </p><p>We are working at pace with Kent County Council, other government departments and local authorities across the UK to ensure suitable local authority placements are provided for unaccompanied asylum seeking children urgently and sustainably.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 16/01/2024 16:14:54 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4359 label Biography information for Stephen Kinnock

1677689

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children in temporary accommodation have been provided with healthcare support in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
	tabling member printed	Tahir Ali
	uin	6910
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2023 answer text <p>We maintain that the best place for these children to be accommodated is within local authority care. As part of the national transfer scheme, the receiving local authority must provide suitable support for all children being moved into their care, including health care, irrespective of the child’s immigration status. <br> <br> Asylum seekers have access to health and social care services from the point of arrival in the UK. The Home Office and its contractors work closely with the NHS, local authorities and non-governmental organisations to ensure that people can access the healthcare and support they need. <br> <br> The Home Office also operates a Safeguarding Hub to support vulnerable individuals in accessing these services. In addition, the Home Office contracts Migrant Help to provide advice and guidance to asylum seekers should they have an issue with their accommodation or support, and for signposting to health and welfare services. Asylum seekers can access Migrant Help 24/7, every day of the year by a freephone telephone number, via an online chat, or completing an email enquiry form, both of which can be accessed free of charge on the Migrant Help website. Interpreting and translation services are available through Migrant Help when the need arises for asylum seekers to raise any queries or concerns.</p><p> </p><p>The information you have requested of the Home Office is not held in a reportable format.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 6911 question first answered 20/12/2023 12:59:11 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4747 label Biography information for Tahir Ali