The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 26th May 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government:
- in respect of paragraph 9.1.2 of the Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Rwanda for an asylum partnership arrangement signed in Kigali on 13 April, what equivalent standard applies in Rwanda for the Home Office requirement that interpreters are members of the Institute of Translating and Interpreting, The Chartered Institute of Linguists, or if with a company, then the latter is a member of the Association of Translation Companies.
- in respect of paragraph 9.1.2 of the Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Rwanda for an asylum partnership arrangement, what is Rwandan law and practice for the provision of independent legal assistance of asylum seekers; and what assessment they have made of the capacity of the legal profession within Rwanda to take on the additional work relating to the partnership.
- in respect of paragraph 9.1.3 of the Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Rwanda for an asylum partnership arrangement, what assessment they have made of the capacity of Rwanda to expand its appeals process.
- in respect of paragraph 11 of the Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Rwanda for an asylum partnership arrangement, under what circumstances they could make a request to the government of Rwanda to make a Relocated Individual available for return to the UK.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government of Rwanda will process asylum claims in line with its obligations under the Refugee Convention and Rwandan law, both in terms of the provision of translators where needed and access to legal assistance. While Rwanda will accept responsibility for the relocated individuals and processing them under their asylum process, the UK is providing funding to support asylum processing and wider support costs. This includes safe and clean accommodation, food, healthcare and amenities. They will have full access to translators and will be able to access legal support to appeal decisions in Rwanda’s courts. The independent Monitoring Committee will monitor the entire relocation process from the beginning including the initial screening to relocation and settlement in Rwanda.
Should the United Kingdom be legally obliged to facilitate a relocated individual’s return, the Memorandum of Understanding provides that Rwanda will take all reasonable steps in accordance with international human rights standards to facilitate this.
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government how members of the Monitoring Committee for the Migration and Economic Partnership Understanding with Rwanda will be appointed; how their independence will be assured; and what consultation will be undertaken for their appointment.
Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con): As set out in paragraph 15 of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) governing the Migration and Economic Development Partnership, an independent Monitoring Committee will monitor the entire relocation process and compliance with assurances in the MoU, including the processing of asylum claims and provision of support in Rwanda. More details on this will be set out in due course.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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