AQW 4377/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 10/10/2022
Answered On Date: 25/10/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail the number of asylum seeker and refugee children currently attending school who (i) live in MEARS accommodation; and (ii) are housed through the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Answer:

The Department does not hold data on the number of children living in contingency MEARS accommodation as it is not a signatory to the data-sharing agreement in place between the Home Office and MEARS.

Data on the number of children arriving from Ukraine and enrolled in schools here will be available when the Department’s October census is published.

Moving forward my officials continue to engage with the Education Authority and other NICS departments to develop and implement proposals to support the increasing number of ASR families arriving in Northern Ireland.