§ Mr. WilkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accompanied minors have arrived at London Heathrow Airport in each year from 1997 to 2003 inclusive without a passport or identity documents seeking entry into the UK. [174778]
§ Mr. BrowneInformation on the number of accompanied minors who have arrived at Heathrow Airport without a passport or identity documents seeking entry into the UK is not currently collected.
§ Mr. WilkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied minors have arrived at London Heathrow airport in each year from 1997 to 2003 inclusive seeking admission to the UK without the necessary visa or legal entitlement to entry. [174779]
§ Mr. BrowneInformation on the number of unaccompanied minors who have arrived at Heathrow airport seeking admission to the UK without the necessary visa or legal entitlement to entry is not currently collected.
The results of Operation Paladin Child on unaccompanied children arriving at Heathrow airport were announced on 17 May. This operation ran between August 2003-November 2003 and was initiated by the Metropolitan Police Child Protection Command, with the co-operation of the Immigration Service, NSPCC and Hillingdon Social Services.
429WIn total 1,738 unaccompanied minors were granted leave to enter in the three month study of whom 30 per cent. were risk assessed and referred to social services. The operation was a valuable exercise in determining the nature of child migration to the UK and has not uncovered evidence of child trafficking at Heathrow.
§ Mr. WilkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied minors have arrived at London Heathrow airport in each year from 1997 to 2003 inclusive seeking refugee status in the UK. [174780]
§ Mr. BrowneData on the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children that arrive at specific ports of entry are not collated centrally (additionally some unaccompanied minors may arrive in the UK and subsequently apply for asylum in country). This information could therefore be obtained only from individual case files at disproportionate cost.
The table presents data on asylum applications from unaccompanied children broken down by year and location of application.
Unaccompanied 1,2,3 children, aged 17 or under, applying for asylum in the United Kingdom, 1997 to 2003
.Total Applied at port Applied in country 19974 1,100 670 430 19984 3,035 1,085 1,955 19994 3,350 1,500 1,850 20004 2,735 1,395 1,340 20014 3,470 1,645 1,820 20025,6 6,200 1,240 4,955 20035,6 2,800 555 2,245 1Figures rounded to the nearest 5. 2Unaccompanied at point of arrival, aged (or if no proof) determined to be 17 or under and not known to be joining a relative or guardian in the United Kingdom. 3Figures exclude disputed age cases. 4May excluded some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices. 5Not comparable with manual counts data prior to 2002. 6Provisional figures. Information on applications from unaccompanied asylum seeking children and other asylum statistics are published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom. Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK Are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.