CHERNOBYL CHILDREN VISA DECISION

That this House commends the important work done by Friends of Chernobyl's Children and various other charities to help Belarusian and Ukrainian children living with the after-effects of radiation by bringing them to the UK to boost their immune systems and improve their health; notes, for example, that the Friends of Chernobyl's Children has brought around 600 children to the UK every year for the last 18 years, including seven to 12 year-old children from socially disadvantaged families who still live in the highly contaminated areas of Belarus; deplores the decision by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to end gratis visas for the Chernobyl children from March 2013, which threatens the future of these vital recuperative visits; and urges the Government to reconsider its decision and continue to grant gratis visas to enable these children to have the recuperative breaks they need.