Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to ensure provision of legal assistance for unaccompanied migrant children in the UK.

Unaccompanied asylum seeking children are placed into the care of local authorities and are provided with specialised legal advice and support.

The Home Office works closely with the Legal Aid Agency, which administers the legal aid provision, to ensure that there is sufficient legal assistance coverage throughout the UK. In addition, assistance in accessing legal advice is available from the child’s social worker, the Refugee Council Children’s Panel of Advisors for children in England and the Scottish Guardianship Service for children in Scotland.