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778249

	registered interest
	date	26/10/2017
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make a statement on the effectiveness of multi-agency intelligence-sharing to identify the needs of unaccompanied child refugees in Europe.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	109802
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2017 answer text <p>There are currently seven routes through which asylum seeking and refugee children can legally enter the UK. To access the UK resettlement schemes, individuals register with UNHCR. Under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, over 8,500 individuals have been resettled to the UK, around half of whom are children. Our strategy is to resettle the most vulnerable children directly from conflict regions, with their family members, so they do not have to make perilous journeys alone.</p><p>Within the EU, the primary responsibility for unaccompanied children lies with the Member State in which they are present. We work closely with EU partners and organisations such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to identify and transfer children to the UK in line with each individual Member State’s national laws. In 2016, over 900 children were transferred from the Europe to the UK.</p><p>In March, the Government published the basis upon which further referrals under section 67 will be made: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policy-statement-section-67-of-the-immigration-act-2016" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policy-statement-section-67-of-the-immigration-act-2016</a>. We have invited referrals of children who meet the eligibility criteria that they were present in Europe before 20 March 2016 and transfer is in their best interests. In deciding which children to refer, Member States have been asked to prioritise those likely to qualify for refugee status and/or the most vulnerable. Vulnerability can be defined by factors which include, but are not limited to, the UNHCR’s <em>Children at Risk </em>factors. It is for Member States to decide which children to refer.</p><p>More broadly, we continue to work with our European partners to manage migration and ensure our collective security. Intelligence exchange between UK law enforcement and Europol is well-established and routine, including on human trafficking. The National Crime Agency also support Europol with seconded staff, including within the European Migrant Smuggling Centre. This cooperation has and continues to assist UK efforts to tackle trafficking in human beings, including children.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis grouped question UIN 109861 109862 question first answered 31/10/2017 17:16:44 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Stephen Timms

772251

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2017
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: 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 her Department has made of the effect of closing the refugee camp in Calais on the availability of data on unaccompanied child refugees; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	108251
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2017 answer text <p>The primary responsibility for unaccompanied children in France lies with the French government. Following the closure of the Calais Camp, French authorities transferred all children formerly resident to specialist centres across France. It is vital that children claim asylum in France; that is the fastest route to safety.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We have a strong track record of cooperating with France to manage the situation in Calais and to protect our shared border. We supported the humanitarian operation to clear the Calais migrant camp in October 2016, which involved the transfer of more than 750 children to the UK and funding to help provide migrants in Calais – including children – with suitable facilities elsewhere in France. Our law enforcement agencies work closely together to</p><p>tackle smuggling and trafficking. Home Office officials meet with their French colleagues on a regular basis.</p><p> </p><p>According to Eurostat data, 63,300 unaccompanied children claimed asylum in the EU in 2016:</p><p><a href="http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8016696/3-11052017-AP-EN.pdf/30ca2206-0db9-4076-a681-e069a4bc5290" target="_blank">http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8016696/3-11052017-AP-EN.pdf/30ca2206-0db9-4076-a681-e069a4bc5290</a></p><p> </p><p>This includes a breakdown of asylum applications by EU Member State.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 20/10/2017 13:58:26 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Stephen Timms

778828

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2017
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: 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 she has made of the potential merits of establishing more localised administration of the Dubs Scheme based in the regions and constituent parts of the UK.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	110042
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2017 answer text <p>The Home Office works closely with local authorities across Great Britain through regional Strategic Migration Partnerships to ensure all unaccompanied children arriving here receive the care and support they need. We encourage local authorities to offer suitable placements, regardless of the child’s route of arrival.</p><p>The National Transfer Scheme for unaccompanied children is already based on a regional model and was established to promote a fairer distribution of caring responsibilities across the country in a way that protects the best interests of all children.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 01/11/2017 11:24:42 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Stephen Timms

748239

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2017
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Immigration
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the reasons the Government is yet to achieve its target of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	2706
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK will remain an open and tolerant country; one that recognises the valuable contribution migrants make to our society and welcomes those with the skills and expertise to make our nation better. We will control immigration so that our system serves the national interest.</p><p> </p><p>As we conduct the negotiations to leave the European Union, it must be a priority to regain more control of the numbers of people who come here from Europe. It will take time to achieve that because until we leave the European Union we will still be affected by free movement rules.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will not solely rely on the Brexit negotiation to deliver the net migration target. We are clear that employers must move away from an unsustainable reliance on migrant workers. We have closed Tier 1 routes which allowed non-EEA migrants to come to the UK to look for work. We have reformed the employer-led Tier 2 route following expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee. Through the introduction of the Immigration Skills Charge, we are encouraging employers to invest in training and up-skilling the resident workforce.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 10/07/2017 10:22:29 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Stephen Timms

790148

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2017
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: France
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with the French Human Rights Ombudsman on the treatment of unaccompanied minors in France.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	113361
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2017 answer text <p>The UK is working very closely with France and other EU Member States in respect of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Children in France are the responsibility of the French government, and robust safeguarding processes are in place for children to enter into and be supported by the French care system.</p><p>We are not currently working with the French Human Rights Ombudsman but the UK has regular engagement at ministerial and senior official level with the French authorities more broadly. We have a strong track record of cooperating with France to manage the situation in Calais and to protect our shared border. We supported the humanitarian operation to clear the Calais migrant camp in October 2016, which involved the transfer of more than 750 children to the UK and funding to help provide migrants in Calais – including minors – with suitable facilities elsewhere in France.</p><p>In addition to this, our security and law enforcement teams have worked closely together to tackle organised criminal gangs operating in the region wishing to exploit vulnerable children. We welcome the French Government’s recent decision to deploy more police to the region and to continue to provide alternative accommodation for migrants elsewhere in France.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 21/11/2017 17:26:15 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Stephen Timms

760719

	registered interest
	date	14/09/2017
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Overseas Students: English Language
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost of re-testing overseas students whose certificates for the Test of English for International Communication were cancelled by Educational Testing Services since February 2014; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	105153
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/10/2017 answer text <p>The Home Office is not able to answer this question. The cost to re-sit a secure English language test was met by the individual and not the Home Office.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 10/10/2017 09:01:59 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Stephen Timms

760716

	registered interest
	date	14/09/2017
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Overseas Students: English Language
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what has been the cost to her Department of the legal action arising from (a) visa curtailments and (b) removals of overseas students whose Test of English for International Communication certificates have been cancelled by the Educational Testing Services since February 2014.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	105154
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/10/2017 answer text <p>This information is unavailable because Home Office data systems are unable to disaggregate legal costs in line with the categories in the question.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 10/10/2017 09:03:14 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Stephen Timms

769911

	registered interest
	date	12/10/2017
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on which the principal pull factors are for unaccompanied children choosing to come to the UK; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	107559
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2017 answer text <p>The Government’s clear strategy has always been that we do not want to encourage people traffickers and incentivise perilous journeys to Europe, particularly by the most vulnerable children.</p><p> </p><p>Our policy is to support families to stay together and we have granted over 24,000 family reunion visas over the last five years. We are clear, from discussions with other Member States, that any schemes to transfer unaccompanied should not act as a draw. The Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme is a bespoke scheme to resettle 3,000 vulnerable children together with their families directly from the Middle East and North Africa region.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 18/10/2017 12:11:04 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Stephen Timms

778245

	registered interest
	date	26/10/2017
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to improve arrangements for the (a) registration and (b) transfer of refugee children to the UK.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	109861
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2017 answer text <p>There are currently seven routes through which asylum seeking and refugee children can legally enter the UK. To access the UK resettlement schemes, individuals register with UNHCR. Under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, over 8,500 individuals have been resettled to the UK, around half of whom are children. Our strategy is to resettle the most vulnerable children directly from conflict regions, with their family members, so they do not have to make perilous journeys alone.</p><p>Within the EU, the primary responsibility for unaccompanied children lies with the Member State in which they are present. We work closely with EU partners and organisations such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to identify and transfer children to the UK in line with each individual Member State’s national laws. In 2016, over 900 children were transferred from the Europe to the UK.</p><p>In March, the Government published the basis upon which further referrals under section 67 will be made: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policy-statement-section-67-of-the-immigration-act-2016" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policy-statement-section-67-of-the-immigration-act-2016</a>. We have invited referrals of children who meet the eligibility criteria that they were present in Europe before 20 March 2016 and transfer is in their best interests. In deciding which children to refer, Member States have been asked to prioritise those likely to qualify for refugee status and/or the most vulnerable. Vulnerability can be defined by factors which include, but are not limited to, the UNHCR’s <em>Children at Risk </em>factors. It is for Member States to decide which children to refer.</p><p>More broadly, we continue to work with our European partners to manage migration and ensure our collective security. Intelligence exchange between UK law enforcement and Europol is well-established and routine, including on human trafficking. The National Crime Agency also support Europol with seconded staff, including within the European Migrant Smuggling Centre. This cooperation has and continues to assist UK efforts to tackle trafficking in human beings, including children.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis grouped question UIN 109802 109862 question first answered 31/10/2017 17:16:44 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Stephen Timms

784966

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2017
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to use data on identities and current whereabouts gathered from children in the Jungle refugee camp in Calais before its demolition; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	111669
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2017 answer text <p>In March, the Government published the basis upon which further referrals under section 67 will be made: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policy-statement-section-67-of-the-immigration-act-2016" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policy-statement-section-67-of-the-immigration-act-2016</a>. We remain committed to transferring unaccompanied children from Europe under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 up to the specified number of 480. We are working closely with Member States, as well as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and NGO partners to identify and transfer children to the UK in line with each individual Member State’s national laws. If it is determined that transfer to the UK is in the child’s best interests, a referral will be made under the National Transfer Scheme for a placement with a local authority in the UK. Transfers are ongoing.</p><p>However, the primary responsibility for unaccompanied children in France lies with the French government. As I set out in the Backbench Business debate of 2 November, the French authorities have in recent weeks established additional welcome centres to those already in place across the country. Four new centres have recently opened, away from the juxtaposed ports, where those wishing to claim asylum will be supported through the asylum process. There is regular transportation provided to these centres. It is vital that children claim asylum in France; that is the fastest route to safety.</p><p>According to Eurostat data, 63,300 unaccompanied children claimed asylum in the EU in 2016:</p><p><a href="http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8016696/3-11052017-AP-EN.pdf/30ca2206-0db9-4076-a681-e069a4bc5290" target="_blank">http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8016696/3-11052017-AP-EN.pdf/30ca2206-0db9-4076-a681-e069a4bc5290</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis grouped question UIN 111663 question first answered 13/11/2017 17:54:02 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Stephen Timms