Tag: Lord Hylton

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will propose that the three billion euros offered to Turkey from the EU be transferred to the UNHCR World Food Programme for work in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan for refugees and displaced people, in particular for continuing child and adult education.

Baroness Verma

The purpose of the EU-Turkey Refugee Facility is to provide support to refugees and host communities in Turkey. We expect that the Facility will provide immediate humanitarian support, as well as help meet longer-term development needs, such as education.

The first projects funded through the Facility are starting to be implemented, for example through the World Food Programme and UNICEF.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy regarding Somali refugees in Kenya and the presence of Kenyan armed forces in Somalia.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government recognises the significant burden that the Government of Kenya faces in housing a large number of Somali refugees. We encourage the Government of Kenya to maintain its global leadership role on this issue as well as its international obligations. We, and the international community, support the continued dialogue with the Government of Somalia and the Tripartite agreement which provides a legal framework for the voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees.

We strongly support Kenyan troops deployed to Somalia as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). AMISOM has made important progress against Al Shabaab since 2007, who continue to pose a significant terrorist threat in Somali and the region. We greatly value the contribution made by Kenya and the other troop contributing countries, and recognise the sacrifices that the Kenyan Defence Forces are making.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-06-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they and other EU member states are taking to increase the number of competent interpreters available for interviewing and assessing refugees on (1) the islands and mainland of Greece, and (2) in south-east Europe.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK continues to assist Member States facing particular migratory pressures and has responded to the request by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) for Member States to provide interpreters to support the function of the Greek asylum system.

The UK has offered up to 20 interpreters to help with the processing of migrants on the Greek Islands, a number of whom have already been deployed. We are working with EASO, the Greeks and the European Commission to plan further deployments. We also continue to work with Greece and the European Commission on how the UK can most effectively bolster their operational and deployment plan(s) and are very clear that we stand ready to do more.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 27 June (HL649), how many unaccompanied refugee children have reached the UK so far this year from (1) Europe, (2) the Middle East, and (3) elsewhere, for family reunion or otherwise for resettlement.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

In the year ending March 2016 the UK received 3,206 asylum applications from unaccompanied children who had reached the UK.

We continue to fulfil our obligations under the Dublin Regulation to unaccompanied children who qualify for transfer to the UK under family reunification provisions. Since January 2016 our records show that over 60 children have been transferred from other EU countries to the UK.

In addtion, the government continues to implement the Immigration Act 2016, including the provision to transfer unaccompained refugee children to the UK from elswhere in Europe. We are consulting local authorities as required and are also working closely with relevant Member States and other partners such as UNHCR, UNICEF and Save the Children.

We are working with UNHCR on our Children at Risk Resettlement Scheme to resettle vulnerable children, both unaccompanied and with their family members from the Middle East and North Africa region. We have committed to resettling several hundred individuals in the first year.

Information on the number of unaccompanied children granted under refugee family reunion provisions in the Immigration Rules is not captured in our data and would require a manual review. This information cannot therefore be provided without exceeding proportionate costs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what stance they plan to take at the UN General Assembly’s High Level Meeting on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants on 19 September; and whether they will consult in advance with UK allies.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK fully supported the UN General Assembly’s High Level Meeting on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants on 19 September, and the New York Declaration on refugees and migrants which was adopted at the meeting.

We will work with others following the High Level Meeting to achieve specific outcomes that will be better for migrants, for refugees, and for all countries in the migration chain – source, transit and destination.

In New York, the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) argued that alongside stepping up our efforts on humanitarian assistance and development, the international community needs to build a more effective policy approach: addressing the root causes of forced displacement, providing proper protection for refugees, and reducing today’s unmanaged population movement.

At the High Level Meeting, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the principle of providing asylum in the first safe country, thereby discouraging dangerous secondary movements; ensuring clarity in the different protections afforded to refugees and economic migrants; and maintaining the rights of all states to control their own borders.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the outcome of the recent meeting between the Children’s Commissioners for England and France concerning unaccompanied refugee children in Calais and elsewhere, in particular on identifying and processing such children.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner, has met her French counterpart, Mme Avenard, Défenseure des enfants, adjointe du Défenseur des droits on a number of occasions to collaborate on work to encourage the French authorities to afford better protection to lone child asylum-seekers in France and particularly those who might have rights to transfer to the UK either under the Dublin III agreement or Lord Dubs’ Amendment 115 to the Immigration Bill.

The Children’s Commissioners have discussed expediting the registering, processing, safeguarding and provision of support to lone child asylum seekers in France and particularly those in the camp in Calais. Discussions have resulted in Mme Avenard raising concerns with the French Government and also with Anne Longfield raising issues with the Governments in France and the UK.

The Commissioners previously met in England on 28 September. Mme Avenard was interested in seeing the way in which unaccompanied asylum seeking children are registered and assessed in the UK and she accompanied Anne Longfield to the Kent Intake Unit, the dedicated children’s unit in Dover in which many children are assessed and processed. They also discussed the process under which children are transferred from Kent Intake Unit into local authority care.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Shaker Aamer has yet been released from detention at Guantanamo Bay to rejoin his family in England; if not, why not; and what representations they are making to the government of the United States on his behalf.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We can confirm that Shaker Aamer was released from Guantanamo Bay and returned to the UK on 30 October.

It has been a longstanding British Government policy to secure Mr Aamer’s return to the UK. We welcome his release and continue to support President Obama’s commitment to closing the detention facility at Guantanamo.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the call by the European Commission as part of the EU enlargement strategy for Turkey to lift media restrictions to improve respect for human rights and the rule of law, and to re-start comprehensive peace negotiations with Kurdish militants and constitutional nationalists.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We welcome the Commission’s EU enlargement strategy, which commends Turkey’s considerable efforts on refugees and recognises the progress Turkey has made in recent years. The strategy also highlights where Turkey needs to do more to meet EU standards through continuing reform, particularly in the areas of fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, and rule of law. As we have made clear, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) needs to cease its attacks and we fully support a resumption of peace talks. The UK stands ready to help in any way it can.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they and the major aid agencies have made for protecting refugees who are still in, or are crossing, south-east Europe this winter.

Baroness Verma

The UK has so far provided nearly £16 million to ensure migrants and refugees arriving in and travelling through Europe are provided with warmth, comfort and lifesaving humanitarian support and protection during the winter. DFID is funding humanitarian organisations such as the Red Cross, UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration, as well as humanitarian NGOs in southern Europe and the Balkans. These organisations are tailoring interventions to meet the needs of children, families and older people. This includes medical assistance, special transport services to help keep families together and support the most vulnerable, referral of children and other vulnerable people to specialised services, and efforts to reunite families that have become separated during their journey. We have also delivered in-kind assistance via the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism. Through this, the UK has provided migrants and refugees in Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia with blankets, sleeping bags and tents so that 11,000 people in each country are provided with warmth and comfort during the winter.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 8 December (HL4152), how many refugees have applied for family reunion in Britain (1) from France, and (2) from other countries, since 1 January 2013; and how much of the funding provided by the UK under the Joint Declaration of 20 August has so far been (1) spent, and (2) committed to be spent.

Lord Bates

For the period January 2013 to September 2015, internal management information (not quality assured to National Statistics standards) indicates there were 11 entry clearance visa family reunion applications made from France and 17,292 from other countries.

Under the Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK has committed to providing €5 million (£3.6 million) per year for two years to help manage the migrant population in Calais by providing support and facilities elsewhere in France, the first of these two payments is currently being processed. This is in addition to €750,000 (£530,000) which has been paid to fund a project to identify and protect vulnerable people in the camps in Calais.