Oral Answers to Questions

Stephen Gethins Excerpts

Monday 5th September 2016 Commons Chamber

[Wayne David (Caerphilly) (Lab)]

2. What steps the Government have taken to increase the speed of family reunification for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

[Stephen Gethins (North East Fife) (SNP)]

6. What steps the Government are taking to accelerate the family reunification process for unaccompanied children in Europe.

[The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Amber Rudd)]

We continue to work with the French, Greek and Italian authorities and others to improve family reunification processes for unaccompanied children. We have seconded a UK official to Greece, we have a long-standing secondee working in Italy, and we will shortly be seconding another official to the French Interior Ministry. Transfer requests under the Dublin obligation are now generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. More than 120 children have been accepted for transfer this year from Europe.

--- Later in debate ---

[Amber Rudd]

The hon. Gentleman will be aware that under the Dublin obligation we have an obligation, which we are acting on, to work with the authorities in France to remove the children who have a family representative in the UK. We are working on that. Since the passage of the Immigration Act 2016 in May, we have agreed to take 30, of whom we have taken approximately half, and we have taken 120 this year. He should not underestimate the difficulty in making sure that we always do what is lawful under French law and EU law at the same time.

[Stephen Gethins]

The Home Secretary will be aware of significant concern about this issue in humanitarian organisations. With the onset of winter just a couple of months away, and given the time that it is taking, will she commit to additional resources and to coming back to the House within the next month to tell us how many children she will take?

[Amber Rudd]

I am always keen to update the House on the latest results from what my Department is doing. We are aware of the humanitarian need and that is why the Government are so committed to ensuring that we work in the best interests of the children. We will always work in the best interest of those children and we will always ensure that that is within French and EU law.