About 600 young asylum seekers are held in UK detention centres at any one time, according to recently published official statistics. The figures, collated over three random days in late 2004 and early 2005 for a Home Office survey, show that 1,938 people were held in detention centres and that almost one in three was under the age of 25. The majority of young people held were males aged 20 to 24.

The study, A survey of the illegally resident population in detention in the UK, found that the highest number of detainees came from south Asia, followed by west Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Many said they had left their home country because they feared for their safety or had been unable to find work.

But children's charity Save the Children claims the figures are misleading and offer little insight into the detention system. "The Home Office has sneakily provided only a snapshot of the number of people detained in centres," said a spokeswoman. "Our own research suggests that about 2,000 under-18s are held a year and many are deprived of basic child protection."

The charity is calling on the Government to make it clear exactly how many young asylum seekers are detained (YPN, 2-8 March, p19).

- www.homeoffice.gov.uk.