Ministers raise concerns over asylum X-ray pilots
Janaki Mahadevan
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Children's minster Sarah Teather and Education Secretary Michael Gove have raised concerns with the UK Border Agency (UKBA) over its decision to trial X-rays for age-disputed asylum-seekers.
In a session of the House of Commons education committee, Labour MP Lisa Nandy asked what government action had been taken over news of the pilot in Croydon, which CYP Now reported last month.
In response, Education Secretary Michael Gove said Teather had raised concerns and expressed his own fears over the scheme.
Answering Nandy, Gove said: “Sarah Teather has raised some specific concerns about this and following on from an editorial in Children & Young People Now and your questions in parliament I have asked a series of questions about the wisdom of pursuing this.
“Reading the editorial, I thought there were causes for concern and we have raised them with the Home Office and the UKBA.”
Gove said there were concerns over whether the action from UKBA was proportionate.
“We need to be clear that this is a proportionate and wise intervention in order to ensure that we can keep our borders safe,” he said. “I am concerned obviously to ensure that we do not have people exploiting the generosity of this country, but I am also clear to ensure the dignity of individuals and the rights of children.”
Gove was unable to answer how much notice the Department for Education had been given before the trials began or if the UKBA had sought permission from his department to begin the pilot, but promised to look into the matter.
He said Teather was leading on the issue and speaking to a range of organisations outside of the DfE on the subject.
Nandy added: “As the department responsible for safeguarding children, it seems strange that your department is only now starting to ask questions when these pilots started on 29 March.”
But Gove insisted that the team in the department handling the issue would report back to him shortly.
When pressed on whether he thought the practice of X-raying children was acceptable, Gove refused to be drawn, saying he needed to hear “both sides of the story”.
He added: “The UKBA and the Home Office are responsible organisations, they will have a case to make. I don’t think I should pronounce before having seen their answers to the questions we and you have raised.”
Nandy asked why Gove had not halted the trials while concerns were investigated, but Gove said he seeks to work in a “collaborative way” rather than "publicly criticise a position taken by another government colleague before I am fully in possession of the facts”.