Britain should treble the number of refugee children it takes, plead MPs
MINISTERS were today urged by MPs to step up action aimed at helping hundreds of unaccompanied child refugees in Italy and Greece.
Tory Heidi Allen led calls for the Government to shift the focus of the socalled Dubs amendment from France to southern Europe.
She also requested ministers at least treble — to about 1,000 — the number of vulnerable children to be given a safe haven in Britain under the scheme, with a longer-term aim of up to 3,000.
“We need to focus Dubs on Italy and Greece to protect thousands of children from falling into the hands of traffickers,” she told the Standard.
“There are local authorities up and down the UK that can take more.”
Ms Allen is among MPs who secured a backbench Commons debate today calling on the Government to continue monitoring local authority capacity for further transfers of vulnerable, unaccompanied children under the scheme — named after the peer and former child refugee Lord Dubs, who proposed the amendement to a bill cracking down on illegal immigration.
Hampstead and Kilburn Labour MP Tulip Siddiq said: “These children are innocent victims of conflict and we should not close our doors to them.”
Ministers have effectively restricted the Dubs amendment, which offers a safe haven to children with no relatives here, to 350 youngsters. The Government insists this is due to the capacity town halls have said they can take.
However, some London boroughs are willing to offer homes to more youngsters who have made it to Europe but have lost their parents on the journey or are alone for other reasons.
Hammersmith & Fulham leader Stephen Cowan stressed his council had offered to take 15 children under the Dubs programme but had so far only been asked to find places for 13.
He added: “If the Government agrees to provide the full costs, we could take significantly more refugee children.”
Lewisham has also offered to take up to 22 more refugee children but has received one through Dubs.
London Councils chairwoman Claire Kober said: “Local authorities have taken responsibility in this humanitarian crisis. The Government must not now turn its back on the situation.”
A Government spokesman said: “We are committed to supporting vulnerable children caught up in conflict and danger. Thanks to the goodwill of the British public and local authorities in the last year alone, we have provided refuge or other forms of leave to more than 8,000 children.”
He stressed that the Government has significantly increased funding to local authorities who look after unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.