Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any evidence of organised criminal gangs targeting unaccompanied child refugees staying in hotels, including those children that have reportedly gone missing from hotels housing asylum seekers.

The safety and wellbeing of those in our care is our primary concern.

We have no power to detain unaccompanied asylum seeking children in hotels and we know some do go missing.

Many of those who have gone missing are subsequently traced and located. Children’s movements in and out of hotels are monitored and recorded and they are accompanied by support workers when attending organised activities and social excursions off-site, or where specific vulnerabilities are identified. All sites have security staff to ensure the safety and welfare of UASC.

There are many reasons why children go missing from care. This is also true of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. It would be wrong to make generalisations regarding the reasons for this.