Refugees: Children
(asked on 17th October 2017) - View Source
Question to the Home Office:
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.
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.
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
tackle smuggling and trafficking. Home Office officials meet with their French colleagues on a regular basis.
According to Eurostat data, 63,300 unaccompanied children claimed asylum in the EU in 2016:
This includes a breakdown of asylum applications by EU Member State.