Undocumented Migrants: Children

(asked on 18th October 2022) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how old each the 116 unaccompanied migrant children missing from Home Office funded hotels are; and for how long each of those children (a) were housed in hotels before they went missing and (b) have been missing.


Answered by
Tom Pursglove Portrait
Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
This question was answered on 21st October 2022

The UK is experiencing an unprecedented increase in the number of people making life-threatening journeys to cross the Channel. These boats are often carrying unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) and this has placed unprecedented pressure on the National Transfer Scheme. Out of necessity and with the children’s best interests in mind, we have arranged for them to be accommodated on an emergency and temporary basis in hotels whilst placements with local authorities are being vigorously pursued.

We have safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in emergency interim hotels are as safe and supported as possible, whilst we seek urgent placements with a local authority. Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses.

The Home Office has no power to hold children in hotels or any temporary accommodation if they wish to leave. To minimise the risk of a child going missing, records of children leaving and returning to the hotel are kept and monitored. Support workers accompany children off site on activities and social excursions, or where specific vulnerabilities are identified.

Any child going missing is extremely serious, and we work with the police and local authorities to seek to urgently locate them and ensure they are safe.

Since July 2021 to 19 October this year, there have been 391 missing episodes of young people from the Home Office UASC Hotels (the term missing episodes is used as the same young person may go missing on more than one occasion).

As of 19 October, 222 young people are missing - please see table below. Please note that the data is taken from a live information database and therefore is subject to change as that system is updated.

Age When Went Missing

No Of Days Accommodated in Hotels for Before They Went Missing

No of Days They Have Been Missing For
(as of 19.10.22)

17

7

339

17

0

333

15

9

331

17

4

330

16

9

272

17

1

234

17

0

231

17

1

212

16

1

210

17

1

185

17

1

185

16

0

186

17

0

186

17

1

185

17

1

185

17

4

181

16

3

181

17

0

170

17

1

169

17

0

169

17

0

165

16

2

155

17

0

153

17

5

151

17

2

147

17

5

144

17

1

139

16

0

138

17

5

136

16

2

121

16

5

120

17

6

118

17

4

116

17

1

113

17

4

109

15

5

107

17

17

107

17

1

105

17

2

100

17

1

97

17

1

97

17

1

97

17

0

95

17

1

92

17

1

92

15

3

91

17

5

89

17

1

90

15

0

86

16

1

85

17

8

84

16

10

82

16

1

80

16

1

80

17

0

78

17

2

78

17

2

77

17

4

76

16

2

76

17

2

76

17

3

76

17

1

76

16

1

76

17

2

74

16

3

72

17

2

71

17

5

71

16

2

71

16

2

71

17

3

69

16

6

69

15

5

70

17

3

68

15

3

68

17

2

66

17

1

66

16

10

66

16

2

65

16

1

64

17

2

64

17

2

64

17

3

64

17

1

63

17

3

63

17

0

63

17

3

62

17

1

59

17

15

60

17

1

60

16

1

60

17

15

60

16

4

58

17

4

58

17

4

57

17

18

57

17

1

56

15

0

56

17

1

56

17

0

56

17

0

56

17

1

55

17

3

55

17

3

55

17

2

55

17

9

55

17

21

55

17

2

55

16

3

54

17

2

54

17

2

54

17

2

54

17

7

53

17

1

53

17

3

53

16

3

53

16

3

53

17

2

52

17

2

52

17

3

52

17

3

52

17

4

52

17

1

52

17

2

52

17

3

52

16

10

52

17

1

53

15

4

51

15

4

51

16

4

51

16

2

51

16

3

51

16

6

50

17

3

50

17

3

50

17

3

50

17

3

48

17

3

48

17

15

48

17

15

48

16

3

48

17

0

45

17

5

45

Reticulating Splines