Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2023 to Question 191108 on Asylum: Children, whether she made an assessment before November 2021 of the potential merits of introducing legislation to give Ministers power to direct a local authority in England to provide accommodation to an unaccompanied child; and if she will make a statement.

The rise in the number of small boat crossings in recent years has placed significant pressures on local authority care placements for young people. Out of necessity, and with the best interests of the child in mind, we have had no alternative but to maintain the temporarily use of hotels to give some unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) a roof over their heads whilst local authority accommodation is found.

Since 15 February 2022, all local authorities with children’s services in the UK have been directed to participate in the National Transfer Scheme (NTS) to ensure UASC receive the critical care they need. We have also offered incentivised funding to local authorities to move these young people in the care system.

Between 1 July 2021 and 31 March 2023, the NTS transferred 4,875 children to local authorities with children’s services which is over six times the number of transfers in the same time frame in previous years (between October 2019 – June 2021 there were 793 transfers).

We are taking a new power in the Illegal Migration Bill to provide or arrange for the provision of accommodation for unaccompanied children. We are also taking a power to direct a local authority in England to provide accommodation to an unaccompanied child, reflecting our position that any time spent in Home Office accommodation should be temporary.

Responsibilities under the Children Act 1989 which apply to local authorities in England with respect to unaccompanied children in their area applied before November 2021 and continue to apply.