Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Greek counterpart on that Governments policy to contain people on Greek islands in the Aegean sea following reports of (a) inhumane living conditions, (b) generalised insecurity and (c) inadequate provision of essential healthcare and mental healthcare services for children and unaccompanied minors on those islands.

New migrant arrivals on the Greek islands are accommodated in Reception and Identification Centres ("hotspots") while they are processed in line with the 2016 EU/Turkey statement. Due to high numbers of arrivals, some of the hotspots are operating well beyond capacity and conditions for many migrants are poor. The United Kingdom continues to raise concerns about conditions on the islands in discussions with the Greek Government.

As part of its efforts to ease congestion on the islands, the Greek Government is transferring the most vulnerable migrants to accommodation on the Greek mainland. As part of our support for the EU/Turkey statement, the United Kingdom is providing interpreters to support migrants in the hotspots, including to help identify the most vulnerable. We are also funding a shelter for the most vulnerable unaccompanied children on Samos.