To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to resettle child refugees in (a) the UK and (b) Northern Ireland.
Answered on
13 March 2017
Unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children are supported by the relevant authorities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and in accordance with their respective children’s legislation. In July last year the Government introduced the National Transfer Scheme to ensure there is a more even distribution of caring responsibilities for unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children across the country.
We are working to extend the transfer provisions in the Immigration Act 2016 to the devolved administrations by the draft affirmative procedure. Building upon Northern Ireland's positive contribution to the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme the Home Office continues to be in contact with the Northern Ireland Executive at ministerial and official level including discussions regarding unaccompanied asylum seeking children. We remain open to any offers of NTS places from the relevant authorities in the devolved administrations however no unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have been resettled in Northern Ireland under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 yet.