§ Mr. ShersbyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current situation in Eritrea and the extent to which it is practicable for child refugees from that territory to be reunited with their families in safety.
§ Mrs. ChalkerEritrea has enjoyed a very large measure of peace and stability since the collapse of the Mengistu regime in May 1991. The economy continues to suffer from drought and the consequences of the civil war, but I am not aware of any general factors which now need prevent Eritrean children refugees wishing to return, from being reunited with their families in safety. Cases of Eritrean children who have sought asylum in the United Kingdom will continue to be assessed on their individual merits.