1. Please provide the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) in your borough in each of the following years: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018?
We have interpreted your reference to “children” to mean anyone under the age of 18:
2013: 5
2014 : *
2015: *
2016: 58
2017: 61
2018: 40
*These numbers are very low and a release of this information would risk identification of the individuals concerned from these years. An identification of these people would be a release of their personal information and would be unfair to them and therefore a breach of the first data protection principle. This information is therefore exempt pursuant to s.40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
2. Of those, how many received a Merton compliant age assessment in each of the following years: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018?
This information is not held centrally and would therefore require an individual review of each of the cases identified above and the other cases from 2014 and 2015.
The identified cases total 164 and a 15 minute review of each file would total 41 hours. This is therefore in excess of 18 hours and this information is therefore exempt from disclosure pursuant to s.12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
3. Of those, how many were deemed to be UASC and how many were deemed to be an adult in those same years requested for questions one and two?
Please see our response to question 2 above.