Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress has been made on reaching an agreement on receiving children to the UK from the Calais camps.

On 10 October, the Home Secretary met with French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to discuss a range of issues, including the proposed clearance of the camp in Calais.

The UK Government has made clear its commitment to transfer from Europe to the UK unaccompanied refugee children under the 2016 Immigration Act, and ensure those with close links to the UK are brought here using the Dublin Regulation, where it is in their best interests. Home Office teams are being deployed to France over the coming weeks to work with the French authorities to speed up the identification and transfer of eligible cases. These children originate from a number of countries including Syria.

We are consulting with local authorities in the UK to establish their capacity to host more unaccompanied children, ensuring we have the right accommodation and support for those who may be brought to the UK from Europe. The National Transfer Scheme has been established to promote a fairer distribution of caring responsibilities across the country in a way that protects the best interests of all children.