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Asylum: Children

Asked by Rupert LoweRestore BritainDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 3 December 2024UIN 16676

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average height is of male asylum seekers recorded via the National Child Measurement Programme.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is a mandatory public health function of local authorities, and it collects data on the weight status of children aged four to five years old, or those in Reception, and 10 to 11 years old, or those in Year 6. The data is used both nationally and locally to inform child health and obesity policy planning and commissioning.

Data on asylum seeker status is not collected in the NCMP. Data on average height of male asylum seekers in England is not available. The height data for boys is measured in the NCMP. The following table shows the average height of boys aged five and 11 years old in the academic year 2023 to 2024:

Age in years

Academic year

Sex

Mean height

5

2023 to 2024

Boys

110.3cm

11

2023 to 2024

Boys

146.4cm

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