§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what services there are at Heathrow airport for unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [116709]
§ Beverley HughesThe Immigration Service has a duty of care to all unaccompanied children. Services and procedures are in place at Heathrow to ensure that this duty is fulfilled. These are
Unaccompanied children are dealt with immediately on arrival. They are given priority over other passengers.Appropriate adult staff are provided to supervise children while they are at Heathrow.All children are offered refreshments.Unaccompanied children arriving at Heathrow are, wherever possible, interviewed by immigration officers specifically trained to interview children.Reference to the Port Medical Inspector is always made prior to departure on temporary admission, or earlier, if there are any concerns about a child's health.Those children whose circumstances raise care and protection issues are referred to Hillingdon Social Services and the Metropolitan police's child protection officer based at Heathrow.All unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are referred to the Children's Panel who act as the independent advisor to the child during the processing of their asylum claim.We are currently trialling a multi-agency project on children who arrive at Heathrow Unaccompanied or without parents or guardians present. This will provide the basis for a detailed evaluation of such an approach in the longer term.