Dear Ms Potter,

Freedom of Information Request - 12455 - Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC)

Thank you for your e mail of 18 July 2009 where you have requested information on the costing information that UKBA had sought from a number of Local Authorities on the “costs of looking after Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children. Your request falls to be considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The target date for UKBA to respond to your request was 17 Aug 2009. I apologise for the delay in replying.

I can confirm that I can release the information you requested in full.

Five Local Authorities submitted the requested information by the closing date of 17 July 2009, although one subsequently withdrew their information as they wished to amend the information. All the information was submitted electronically.

If you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent internal review of our handling of your request. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the UK Border Agency sending a substantive reply to your original request and should be addressed to:

Head of Information Access Policy Team

(Freedom of Information)

11^th floor - short corridor

Lunar House

40 Wellesley Road

Croydon

CR9 2BY

During the independent review the department's handling of your information request will be reassessed by staff who were not involved in providing you with this response. Should you remain dissatisfied after this internal review, you will have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner as established by section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Yours sincerely

Jerry Harland

UASC Reform Programme