Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has taken steps to set up a dedicated team to investigate potential links between (a) organised crime, (b) trafficking and (c) children going missing from Home Office-run bridging hotels for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

The wellbeing, welfare and security of children and minors in our care is an absolute priority. Robust safeguarding and welfare procedures are in place to ensure all children and minors are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with local authorities.

We continue to consult multi-agency partners and subject matter experts to ensure our processes and procedures are robust and evolve as new trends or risks emerge. Whenever any child fails to return to a hotel, local police forces are engaged in ongoing activity and this data is shared across the police national computer base.