Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-04-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken in the light of the report by Help Refugees in March that 129 unaccompanied children are unaccounted for in the Calais refugee camp.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government is working closely with the French Government to ensure that unaccompanied children in Calais and Dunkirk quickly receive the support and protection they need.

The UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015 committed the two governments to establishing a permanent official contact group focused on ensuring that the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation are used efficiently and effectively, including the provisions on family unity.

As a result a Home Office official has recently been seconded to the Interior Ministry’s Dublin Unit in Paris in part to assist with the identification of potential requests for the UK to take charge of asylum seeking children in France and to bring them into the Dublin Regulation procedure without delay.

In order to receive the proper support they need and to be eligible under Dublin, children must first make an asylum for application in France.