§ Mr. David StewartTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent measures have been taken to deal with unaccompanied children seeking asylum. [28511]
§ Angela EagleWe are committed to offering protection and appropriate levels of care to unaccompanied minors who claim asylum in the United Kingdom. To achieve this we work closely with the Department of Health, local authorities and non-governmental organisations.
With regard to recent measures I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend, the Member for Wigan, (Mr. Turner) on 8 November 2001, Official Report, column 386W.
§ Mr. David StewartTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied children have sought asylum in each year since 1996. [28510]
§ Angela EagleThe information requested has been provided in the table.
Unaccompanied1,2,3 children, aged 17 or under, applying for asylum to the United Kingdom, 1996 to 2000 1996 1997 1998 1999 20004 Total applications 631 1,102 3,037 3,349 2,733 1 Unaccompanied at the point of their arrival, and not known to be joining a close relative in the United Kingdom. 2 May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices between January 1999 and March 2000 3 Figures exclude disputed age cases. 4 Provisional figures. Information on unaccompanied minors is published annually in the statistical bulletin "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom", a copy of which is available in the Library; and from the Research, Development and Statistics (RDS) website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.