To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) aims and (b) eligibility criteria are of the Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children Grant is; how much funding was (i) distributed to local authorities via the grant and (ii) subsequently spent by local authorities by local authority in each year since the grant began; and what estimate he has made of the amount of such funding to be provided in the next two years. (292410)

The aim of the grant is to assist local authorities in meeting the costs of supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) under the provisions of the Children Act 1989. With a few small exceptions all UASC that the local authorities are supporting can be included in a claim for funding under the terms of the grant. The full terms of the grant and eligibility criteria can be found at:

www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/workingwithasylumseekers/localauthoritygrants/

The grant reimburses local authorities for expenditure already incurred (subject to audit). It is not possible to break down expenditure under the grant by year before financial year 2005/06 because of the way in which funding claims from local authorities before that time were finally settled.

The breakdown of total expenditure over the past four years is set out in the table:

It is anticipated that funding levels for the next two years will be at roughly the same level as at present but this depends on discussions with local authorities and on the numbers of new UASC that arrive in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what categories of expenditure are covered by the Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children Grant; how many children have received such funding in each local authority in each year since the grant began; and what estimate he has made of such funding in the next two years. (292411)

The grant covers the main expenditure local authorities incur in looking after unaccompanied asylum seeking children. This includes the cost of a foster placement, the cost of accommodation provided when fostering is not the placement option, the cost of the social workers who provide the care and general administrative costs.

The numbers of children covered by the expenditure since the financial year 2005-06 is set out in the following table. It is not possible to break down numbers before 2005-06 because of the way in which funding claims from local authorities before that time were finally settled.

It is anticipated that funding levels for the next two years will be at roughly the same level as at present but this depends on discussions with local authorities and on the numbers of new UASC that arrive in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the progress of his departmental goal to transfer a large number of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children away from London and the South East as stated in his Department’s February 2007 consultation paper, Planning better outcomes and support for unaccompanied asylum seeking children. (292412)

Insufficient local authorities outside the South-East have expressed a willingness to accept the transfer of the children to their areas to make this policy goal viable.

We are therefore developing the other policy goals set out in the consultation paper on the basis that children who are the responsibility of authorities in the South-East will stay in that area for as long as they remain in the United Kingdom.