Recommendation 13

It is difficult to see how the removal of unaccompanied child refugees under clause 3 could comply with the legal obligations to have regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the UK, and to treat the best interests of the child as a primary consideration except in very specific circumstances, such as family reunification. Clause 3 should therefore be removed from the Bill (see Annex, amendment 6). Failing this, clause 3 must be circumscribed to allow the Secretary of State only to exercise the power in circumstances where removal is clearly in the best interests of the child (see Annex, amendment 7). The Bill’s impact on children more broadly is discussed in detail in Chapter 7.