Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Heidi Allen and Robert Goodwill

Monday 11th September 2017 Commons Chamber

[Tulip Siddiq (Hampstead and Kilburn) (Lab)]

23. When she plans to publish the Government’s strategy on the safeguarding of unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children.

[The Minister of State, Department for Education (Mr Robert Goodwill)]

The safeguarding strategy, bringing together all work in this area and setting out further detail, will be published later this autumn.

[Heidi Allen]

This strategy was due on 1 May, so I am keen that we see it as soon as possible. I would like to understand the reasons for the delay and to know whether the Minister has looked at whether independent guardians might work. I was struck when I visited Lesbos and Calais that there is no admin support or signposting at all for unaccompanied children seeking to make asylum claims, so having somebody with them would definitely help.

[Mr Goodwill]

We had a general election this year, which derailed some of the timetables for these things, but it is certainly absolutely vital that all unaccompanied children seeking asylum have access to independent legal advice and are referred to the Children’s Panel.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Heidi Allen and Robert Goodwill

Monday 23rd January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Heidi Allen (South Cambridgeshire) (Con)]

T10. More than 30,000 unaccompanied child refugees arrived in Greece and Italy last year. Building on the good work that we did in Calais, can the Minister give me an update on when we expect the first children to come from Greece and Italy under the Dubs criteria and whether he has a sense yet of how many there might be?

[The Minister for Immigration (Mr Robert Goodwill)]

In 2016, we transferred more than 900 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK from Europe, including more than 750 from France as part of the UK’s support for the Calais camp clearance. Following consultation with local authorities, I remind the House that the Government will transfer “a specified number” of children, in accordance with section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016, who reasonably meet the intention and spirit of the provision. This will include more than 200 children already transferred from France. We will announce in due course the basis on which the remaining places will be filled, including from Greece and Italy, and the final number.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Heidi Allen and Robert Goodwill

Monday 31st October 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Goodwill]

Although it would be inappropriate for me to comment on individual cases, I am aware of this case. It is on my desk at present.

[Heidi Allen (South Cambridgeshire) (Con)]

I thank the Home Secretary and the Minister for their dedication to the issue in recent weeks. I understand that children are now being moved from the containers to resettlement camps around France. When might we see all the Dublin and Dubs children being extracted from there and brought here?