John Battle MP (Lab, Leeds West) backed a new law aiming to provide better protection for child runaways in Parliament yesterday.

Mr Battle is a co-sponsor of the Safeguarding Runaway and Missing Children Bill, which gained its first reading in the House of Commons. The Bill contains plans for a national database of runaway children to be set up to trace those who go missing.

Mr Battle said: “I was pleased that the Bill got the support of the Commons yesterday. There are pitifully few measures in place to protect the many children who go missing every year and who often face dangerous situations in the time they are away from home. This Bill would force the Government to put in place some simple measures to improve the situation.

“Every five minutes of every day a child goes missing in the UK. Although most get home safely, there are many who don’t – and at the moment the systems for tracing them are woefully insufficient. Effective sharing between the Police and other agencies, in a national system, has to be a priority.”

Mr Battle is also concerned by the gaps in the provision of children’s refuges, which provide emergency accommodation to runaway children.

“Currently there are only 10 places available in refuges run by charities for children who have run away. This leaves many children on their own, sleeping rough, or staying with someone they have just met. The Bill would put a duty on Government ministers to provide properly for those children and increase the number of places available in refuges.”

©John Battle MP 18 January 2007