Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Unaccompanied Child Refugees: EU Transition Period

Monday 9 November 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The United Kingdom tabled a draft agreement in May with provisions for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children family reunion.
  • The UK Government appointed a dedicated person with proper experience to address the unique problems posed by cross-channel small boat crossings.
  • The commander's role includes working to completely stop the cross-channel small boat crossings facilitated by criminals.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ruth Jones Lab Newport West and Islwyn
Asylum & Refugees
Context

The UK has not yet agreed to a draft agreement tabled in May for co-operation at an EU level regarding unaccompanied child refugees.

Question

What steps the Government has taken to help ensure co-operation at a European level on unaccompanied child refugees after the transition period?

Answer from Chris Philp

The United Kingdom tabled a full draft agreement to the European Commission back in May, which included provisions for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children family reunion. That has sadly so far not been agreed, but the negotiations are still ongoing.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific actions taken to secure cooperation were not detailed beyond tabling a draft agreement in May.

How: Negotiations Are Still Ongoing

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Q2 Ruth Jones Lab Newport West and Islwyn
Migrants & Borders
Context

On 9 August, the Home Secretary announced the appointment of a clandestine channel threat commander to address small boat crossings.

Question

Can the Minister confirm precisely what powers the commander has and why the elements of the role could not be addressed by Border Force?

Answer from Chris Philp

Given that the problems posed by cross-channel small boat crossings are unique, serious, dangerous, facilitated by ruthless criminals, a dedicated person with proper experience was appointed. He is a former Royal Marine and can work on completely stopping these crossings.

Not addressed: The specific powers of the commander were not clarified beyond mentioning his background as a former Royal Marine.

How: Problems Posed By Cross-Channel Small Boat Crossings Are Unique

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