§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) unaccompanied children and (b) children unaccompanied by adults with parental responsibility arrived in the UK in each of the last five years. [100477]
§ Beverley HughesI regret that the information requested is not available. Information is not recorded (or collated centrally) on whether children who arrive in the United Kingdom are accompanied or unaccompanied.
The available information on applications from unaccompanied asylum seeking children is given in the table. Reliable information on the entry routes of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC), including when UASCs first enter the United Kingdom, is not available.
Unaccompanied children1,2,3 aged 17 or under, applying for asylum in the United Kingdom, 1998 to 2002 Total Applied at port Applied in country 19984 3,035 1,085 1,955 19994 3,350 1,500 1,850 20004 2,735 1,395 1,340 20014,5 3,470 1,645 1,820 20025,6 5,945 1,220 4,725 1 Figures are rounded to the nearest five. 2 Unaccompanied at point of arrival and not known to be joining a close relative in the United Kingdom. 3 Figures exclude age dispute cases reported by Asylum Cases Information Database (A-CID). 4 Figures exclude cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices (LEO) and postal applications. 5 Provisional figures. 6 Figures not comparable to manual count data previous to 2002, which excluded LEO and postal applications, which are now reported by A-CID. Information on asylum applications from unaccompanied asylum seeking children is published annually in the statistical bulletin, "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom", a copy of which is available in the Library, and from the RDS website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html