§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what discussions his Department has had with the Romanian authorities regarding abduction of children from that country; [26490]
(2)how many cases of children abducted from Romania have been investigated by police in the last five years; [26491]
(3)what assessment he has made of the incidence of children abducted in Romania being brought to the UK. [26492]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonI have been asked to reply.
The United Kingdom and Romania are both parties to the 1980 Hague convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction. In total we have received four requests for the return of children allegedly abducted from Romania, of which two are currently outstanding. Other than the liaison between the respective central authorities in relation to these cases, there have been no recent discussions between my Department and the Romanian authorities on the subject of child abduction. My Department does not have information about police investigations into alleged child abduction cases.