Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the closure of the refugee camp at Calais, whether they intend to revise the rules concerning the acceptance of child refugees into the UK.

In response to the French Government’s decision to close the camp in Calais, we have transferred over 200 asylum-seeking children to the UK, and we plan to transfer several hundred more children over the coming days and weeks.

Between 1 January and 1 October, over 140 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Europe were accepted for transfer to the UK under the family reunion provisions of the Dublin Regulation, of which over 80 are from France. This is in addition to our efforts in Calais.

Almost 3,000 people have been granted humanitarian protection under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme since it began. In the year ending June 2016, almost 50% of those were children.

There were 3,472 asylum claims from unaccompanied asylum seeking children in the year ending June 2016, a 54% rise compared to the year ending June 2015.

We continue to consult with every part of the UK including the devolved administrations, to encourage local authorities across the country to accept unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children under the National Transfer Scheme.

In July 2016, we increased the national rate of funding to local authorities taking responsibility for unaccompanied asylum seeking children; from £34,675 to £41,610 a year for those aged under 16 and from £25,915 to £33,215 a year for those aged 16 or 17. These rates were set following analysis of the costs of providing support to the two age groups based on financial information supplied by local authorities. We will keep these arrangements under review.