Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 , if she will take steps to transfer unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK.

The UK has a long and proud history of providing protection to those who need it.

The Government met its one-off statutory commitment to transfer 480 unaccompanied asylum seeking-children (UASC) from Europe to the UK under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.

In addition to the many unaccompanied children who are being cared for, we have been dealing with significant numbers of children crossing the Channel on small boats.

Generally, UASC enter the care system as looked after children. The latest published statistics from the Department for Education, for the year ending 31 March 2022, show there were 5,540 UASC being cared for in England alone, an increase of 34% from the previous reporting year. This does not include the high intake seen this summer.

This sharp increase has placed significant pressure on local authorities and it is important that we focus on ensuring that we can take care of those children already in the UK. At this moment, bringing in additional unaccompanied children from Europe would not be in the best interests of those children already being cared for in the UK.