HL Deb 16 May 2000 vol 613 cc14-5WA
Lord Alton of Liverpool

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When the Department of Health will issue revised guidelines on the care of young asylum seekers; and [HL2364]

Whether they will put arrangements in place to identify young asylum seekers better and to provide the statistical information necessary to plan better and more effective local services; and [HL2365]

What consideration is being given to placing young asylum seekers as close as possible to their relatives or community. [HL2366]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

We have commissioned a review of possible different models of care for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and to consider what changes might be made to the current guidance. This should be completed in the summer. Officials at the Home Office and the Department of Health are currently working together to improve arrangements between the two departments in relation to unaccompanied asylum seeking children, and this piece of work includes considering the production of a database of information on unaccompanied asylum seeking children. It also includes discussion with the local authority associations about how to ensure up-to-date information about the numbers of such children supported by local authorities. Both elements of the work should be completed by the summer. The issue of placing unaccompanied asylum seeking children as close as possible to relatives and their community is being considered in these processes.