HC Deb 19 July 2004 vol 424 cc73-4W
Mrs. Brooke

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken recently to improve the collection of data on children entering the country. [183311]

Mr. Browne

[holding answer 15 July 2004]: The Immigration Service does not routinely collect data on children arriving in the United Kingdom. It does however act as the first information point to identify children who may be at risk when they arrive in the United Kingdom.

The overwhelming majority of children arriving in the UK do so legitimately and safely and give no cause for concern. However, if an immigration officer had concerns about a child arriving in the UK, mechanisms are in place to ensure that such information is collected and shared with relevant agencies, such as social services.

Mrs. Brooke

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the data collected on children entering the country are shared with other relevant agencies. [183308]

Mr. Browne

[holding answer 14 July 2004]: The Immigration Service does not routinely collect data on children arriving in the United Kingdom. But it has recently introduced a number of measures aimed at ensuring that children at risk are identified on arrival and, where appropriate, other agencies informed.

Child Protection Officers are based at Heathrow Airport and at the Croydon Asylum Screening Unit in order to strengthen the links between the police and the Immigration Service to counter child trafficking and problems associated with unaccompanied minors. In addition social services have recently placed staff at the Croydon Asylum Screening Unit to work alongside Immigration Service staff advising them on child welfare issues. A scoping study is also being undertaken to examine the feasibility of social work teams being based at the major ports of entry.

The Immigration Service also participated in Operation Paladin Child, initiated by the Metropolitan Police Child Protection Command to define the nature of child migration from non-EU countries to the UK via Heathrow, and which also involved the NSPCC and Hillingdon Social Services. The report into the operation's findings made a number of recommendations, including the creation of multi-agency partnership teams at major ports. The Immigration Service will work with the police and other agencies involved to help implement those recommendations.