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Deportation: Children

Volume 494: debated on Monday 15 June 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of accommodating British citizen children accompanying a foreign parent subject to a removal enforcement process in immigration removal centres in each of the last three years. (278388)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2009, Official Report, column 275W, on deportation: children, whether a race impact study has been undertaken of the expulsion from the UK of British citizen children accompanying a foreign parent subject to a removal enforcement process. (278387)

The UK Border Agency does not expel, remove or deport people who hold British citizenship, including the British citizen children of foreign nationals subject to the removal process; consequently no race impact study has been conducted.

Arrangements can be made for a child with British citizenship to accompany a foreign national parent who is to be removed. However, this is strictly voluntary and dependent on the consent of all parties.

UK-born children who are not British citizens can be detained and removed under Immigration Act powers.