Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2023 to Question 137785 and the Answer of 31 January 2023 to Question 132555 on Asylum: Hove, what the normal notice period is prior to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children being moved into a hotel site; and what the reduced period of notice was that was referred to in the Answer to Question 132555.

The rise in dangerous small boats crossings means there are significant challenges on providing local authority care places for unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC). Out of necessity and with the best interests of the child in mind, we have had no alternative but to temporarily use hotels to give some unaccompanied children a roof over their heads whilst local authority accommodation is found.

We take the welfare of these vulnerable children extremely seriously. We have robust measures in place to ensure that the imminent safeguarding and welfare needs of young people can be met whilst we source more appropriate long-term care placements under the National Transfer Scheme (NTS).

The National Transfer Scheme (NTS) was established in 2016 and provides a mechanism for the statutory responsibility for an Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Child (UASC) to be transferred from an entry local authority to another local authority in the UK for ongoing care and support.

The NTS aims to ensure that UASC receive support and accommodation they need. It also enables a more equitable distribution of responsibility for UASC to local authorities across the UK.