Jee HKK 243 1
243/1
F323
82.
Reg (Resettlement) - Rip red perious pps
21/2012 751/2 HKK 243/3
BU to me 21/2.
REPORT BY THE JOINT COMMITTEE FOR JEFUGEES FROM VIBUNAI
убак
19
₤1983
I am grateful to Departments for the ailenţion whiivii chejs naver bukun of the Joint Committee and for their helpful contributions to the preparation.c. the Home Secretary's reply to the report.
No
I now enclose a copy of the draft which I have prepared using these contributions. Before I put this forward I would welcome any comments you or your colleagues may have. If I have received none by 8 February I will assume that the draft is
acceptable.
Can I at this stage press on three matters of substance of concern respectively to DES, DHSS and Department of Employment.
Education in reception centres
Towards the end of the programme and after consulting DES the agency at one of these centres employed its own teachers no LEA teachers were thrown off site, it was a case of a closed centre being reopened - and the arguments for doing so were that the teachers used already had relevant knowledge of the refugees' needs and that as agency employees they identified with the agency's and the programmes aims. They were also cheaper.
I recognise the arguments for the use of LEA provision, indeed, I advanced them during the course of the report's preparation. While one might insist on this as the core of any future programme, particularly for children, would it not be prudent at this stage to allow ourselves some scope for a mixed provision - it has its advantages - and would DES be prepared therefore to softer their present contribution (on page 2 of my draft) on this point? The present passage could be read, too, as placing too much emphasis on the teaching of children which may in practice, have presented fewer problems than teaching for adults.
Unaccompanied minors
As it stands the proposed response on this issue leaves a number of questions undealt with, eg, the suggested code of practice for dealing with unaccompanied minors. This may be a non-starter but ought not we to offer a meeting to discuss the issues and realise that offer as soon as possible. I know that there are a number of underlying questions which the agencies, Ockenden Venture in particula wish to dicuss. I also would wish to explore the implications of the Governomal responsibility for unaccompanied minors received during the programme in the light of an occurrence where an involved teacher at one stage removed a minor from a reception centre and left Ockenden Venture in a difficult position of having to resolve the matter without a clear idea of their rights and responsi- bilities. I hope therefore that DHSS will agree the invitation to a meeting wit officials.
Employment
As an aid to understanding, can DE/MSC advise me what particular attention will be given to the Vietnamese and a close watch kept on their progress'
is likely to mean in practice?
Distribution of this note is as in the previous round but this time includes Treasury.
زان
ཡ༩ན
Voluntary Services Unit
Home Office
QAG
J F NICHOLSON
7
February 1983