Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children staring to be looked after by local authorities between 14 July and 22 November 2021 were (a) accommodated in hotels upon or after arriving in the UK, (b) were aged (i) 10 and under and (ii) between 11 and 18 on arrival, (c) assessed by a registered medical practitioner upon arrival in the UK and (e) in receipt of legal advice whilst being housed in a hotel.

The number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children being placed with a local authority between 14 July and 22 November 2021 who have been accommodated in hotels upon or after arriving in the UK is 890. Of these 2 were aged 10 or under and 888 were aged between 11 and 18 on arrival. This is based on local management information and subject to change.

Nurses are on site at the hotels where the young people are assessed and they are also registered with a GP.

Children making an asylum claim in their own right are eligible for assistance in the form of legal aid and the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) will fund a legal representative’s attendance at the substantive interview.

There is no requirement for legal representation at first encounter when the welfare interview is conducted because children should not be asked questions about issues that relate to their asylum claim.