Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure the safe passage to the UK of child refugees sleeping rough in Calais who (a) meet the Dublin III Regulation family reunification criteria and (b) could be offered a place by local councils under the Dubs scheme.

The primary responsibility for unaccompanied children in France lies with the French authorities. It is vital that children claim asylum in France rather than risking their lives by attempting to enter the UK illegally. That is the fastest route to safety.

The Dublin III Regulation is the mechanism which determines the Member State responsible for the consideration of an asylum claim. In order for an application to be transferred from France to the UK, an asylum seeker must first claim asylum in France, and the French authorities can request to have the claim transferred to the UK. We continue to work closely with France, other EU Member States and partners to ensure the timely and efficient operation of the Dublin III Regulation.

We are fully committed to delivering our commitment to transfer the specified number of 480 children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 (the ‘Dubs Amendment’) and are working very closely with Member States, as well as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and NGO partners to identify and transfer children to the UK in line with each individual Member State’s national laws. Children have been transferred from France under section 67 this year and we have received further referrals. More eligible children will be transferred from Europe under the scheme in due course.