Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the efficacy of Border Force protections for children subject to sexual abuse travelling with their abusers.

Border Force Officers have an obligation under Section 55 of the Borders Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 to carry out their core function with due regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the UK.

Border Force Officers are trained to identify safeguarding issues through behavioural indicators and questioning, and this includes being satisfied that a child crossing the border is not accompanied by someone who poses a threat. Where there are concerns about the safety of a child they are referred to the appropriate agencies. Border Force works closely with other law enforcement agencies, including the National Crime Agency and Police, in delivering this protection.

Frontline operational processes, agency partnerships, training, and wider safeguarding arrangements and structures are kept under ongoing review.