UK Borders Bill

I certainly undertake to find as current data as we possibly can. The noble Lord may be right; I do not know. It is likely that he is. But my point is that, given the criticality of age in the assessment process generally for consideration of asylum cases, it is right that we should have proper procedures in place. The heightened concern about child protection issues underpins that. Further, it is right that we should explore the medical and technological advances made in the past 20 years, which have been mentioned, with a view that X-rays may be able to contribute to an overall holistic and more scientific approach to age assessment. That would be in everyone’s interest. As I say, we have committed to review ethnic variation in the development of teeth. We have commissioned a leading ordontologist to research ethnic variation issues relating to tooth development. Of course, we will be willing to share the findings from that report with the Committee. A question was also asked about who we had consulted about the use of dental X-rays. As I have explained, we published a paper earlier in the year. The consultation period ended on 31 May and we are carefully considering the responses received. There have been more than 100, from a number of local authorities, NGOs, and children’s and refugee organisations. The consultation paper included the proposals to use dental X-rays for the purposes of age assessment. Separately, officials have met with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Healthcare Commission and the Department of Health. We have spent some time on this and are approaching the subject with considerable care. It is a serious issue, as we all appreciate. The age assessment issue is important for a number of reasons, not least child protection and making a proper assessment of entitlement to reside in the UK.