Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of (1) the number of unaccompanied refugee children who are waiting at or near Calais and other Channel ports on the European mainland in the hope of crossing to England, and (2) how many of those are dependents or close relatives of persons who are living in the UK.

The management of the migrant camps in Calais is the responsibility of the French Government. The UK Government does not routinely assess the numbers of migrants (including children) in Calais, or hold a breakdown of their ages. EU asylum rules oblige Member States to bring together close family members, including children. For a refugee child to be reunited with family members in the UK, a claim must first be lodged with the French authorities. The French and UK Governments are actively encouraging and assisting migrants in the Calais area to claim asylum in France.