Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that refugee children will not lose rights derived from EU law if the UK withdraws from the EU.

The rights of children granted refugee status in the UK are unchanged when we leave the EU. The UK will continue to be bound by the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights and will continue to provide protection to all those who need it, including children, in accordance with our international obligations.

In respect of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking children, Section 17 of the Withdrawal Act requires the Government to seek a reciprocal agreement with the EU to establish a mechanism to transfer children to the UK to reunite with family members.

If Parliament accepts the Withdrawal Agreement, the existing provisions in respect of the Common European Asylum System will continue to apply in the transition period. In the event of a no deal, the Government has introduced a ‘No Deal’ Statutory Instrument – The Immigration, Nationality and Asylum (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.