Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the reasons for unaccompanied children from Albania seeking to purchase tickets to fly to the UK in order to claim asylum.

Albanians require a visa to travel to the UK and are not allowed to board the plane without one. We do not issue visas for the purpose of claiming asylum in the UK. Unaccompanied children who nonetheless manage to reach the UK, including those from Albania, claim asylum for a variety of reasons. Each case is considered on its individual merits in accordance with our international obligations and protection is granted where it is needed.