§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many visas he has earmarked for sick or injured children from the former Yugoslavia to be treated in the United Kingdom(a) in total and (b) by special arrangement with the International Organisation for Migration and the Child Advocacy International charity; [1726]
(2) what arrangements he has made for the provision of special visas earmarked for sick and injured children from the former Yugoslavia to be admitted by arrangement with Child Advocacy International and the International Organisation for Migration for medical treatment in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [1727]
§ Mr. KirkhopeThe United Kingdom has already admitted, under arrangements made by the International Organisation for Migration, 86 people from the former Yugoslavia under the Government's official medical evacuation programme, 28 of whom were under the age of 18. Of the 20 additional medical places announced in September, 14 remain to be filled.
The arrangements between IOM and Child Advocacy International are for the evacuation of Bosnian children for private medical treatment outside the official programme. These children will therefore need to meet the requirements of the immigration rules relating to private medical treatment.