Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the situation of children living in Eritrea, and of the effects of the Danish report on asylum determination, published in 2014, which has been criticised for failing to reflect the balance of views expressed by the UN.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British Government wants to see better conditions for children in Eritrea. Some of the issues of concern are: a lack of education; limited access to health services; and the prospect of extended National Service. Each of these can act as a driver for migration, pushing minors to undertake dangerous journeys to Europe. Though the Government of Eritrea has made some progress, including improving health services and increasing the net national enrolment in education, more needs to be done. Through the Department for International Development, the UK is supporting UN Children’s Emergency Fund programs that help improve the lives of children in Eritrea.
The Home Office’s Country Information and Guidance on handling Eritrean asylum and human rights claims is based on an objective assessment of the situation in Eritrea. It uses evidence from a range of sources, including the Danish Immigration Service’s fact finding report of December 2014. The Home Office carefully considered the criticisms of the Danish report when preparing the guidance, as well as other published material. Each asylum case is carefully considered on its individual merits.
