Safety of Rwanda (Immigration and Asylum) Bill: Bishop of Chichester supports amendments on role of the courts in asylum system

On 19th February 2024, the House of Lords debated the Safety of Rwanda (Immigration and Asylum) Bill in committee. The Bishop of Chichester spoke in the debate, in support of two sets of amendments on the jurisdiction of the courts, pointing out the practical issues associated with offshoring of asylum seekers:

  • amendments tabled by Baroness Chakrabarti restoring the jurisdiction of domestic courts “by rendering the future safety of Rwanda (evidenced by UNHCR advice) a rebuttable presumption and restoring the ability for UK courts and tribunals to grant interim relief…”
  • amendments in the name of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Baroness Chakrabarti which would seek to ensure that that proper regard is given to interim measures of the European Court of Human Rights in accordance with international law

The Lord Bishop of Chichester: My Lords, my noble friend the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury regrets that he cannot be in his place today to speak to the amendments in this group tabled in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti, and the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Hale. I wish to associate my remarks with theirs and to emphasise how important the restoration of the jurisdiction of the domestic courts is in considering also UNHRC evidence and the ability to grant interim relief. This is no mere technicality. This jurisdiction might make the difference between sending an asylum seeker to Rwanda while their claim, or an aspect of their claim, is pending or not doing so.

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Bishop of Norwich asks about development assistance rates

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 19th February 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government, following the Autumn Statement 2023, what assessment they have made of the suitability of the economic climate to enable them to return Official Development Assistance to 0.7 per cent of gross national income.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con, Treasury): The government remains committed to returning to a target of spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA when, on a sustainable basis, the government is not borrowing for day-to-day spending and underlying debt is falling.

Hansard

Bishop of St Albans asks about humanitarian aid to Ethiopia

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 19th February 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how much money was allocated to tackling humanitarian crises in Ethiopia in (1) 2019–20, (2) 2020–21, (3) 2021–22, and (4) 2022–23.

Lord Benyon (Con, Foreign Office): The UK has been an overseas development assistance (ODA) donor to Ethiopia over the last four years.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about support for persecuted religious minorities in Pakistan

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 19th February 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether any UK aid to Pakistan is directed specifically towards supporting persecuted religious minorities; and if so, how much.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): We prioritise our aid to achieve maximum impact for the people of Pakistan in line with our strategic priorities, including promoting the rights of religious minorities. Examples include our Aawaz II programme, which is allocated £39.5 million (2018-2024) and brings together community leaders and minority representatives to promote tolerance; and our Hate Speech and Disinformation programme, which works to protect marginalised communities from hate speech online.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about training on freedom of religion and belief for those in the diplomatic service

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 19th February 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to put in place mandatory training for diplomats on Freedom of Religion and Belief.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): In July 2021, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB), Fiona Bruce, MP, and I, launched the FCDO International Academy’s training module “Religion for International Engagement,” delivering recommendation 11 of the Bishop of Truro’s review of FCDO support for persecuted Christians. The training is essential for FCDO diplomats, and highly recommended for all FCDO staff. The training is also available to all civil servants.

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Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich supports amendment challenging disapplication of the human rights act

On 14th February 2024, the House of Lords debated the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill in committee. The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich spoke in support of amendment 36 to the bill, on behalf of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The amendment would leave out clause 3 of the bill, in order to “limit the Bill’s disapplication of the Human Rights Act to immunising the Secretary of State from challenge of his decision to lay positive UNHCR advice.” The Bishop also pointed out the risks associated with disapplying the universal principle of human rights to asylum seekers:

The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich: My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord from Suffolk. The most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury regrets that he cannot be in his place to speak to Amendment 36, tabled in the name of the noble Baroness who has just briefly left, and to which he has added his name. I will speak briefly and again repeat the moral point.

The amendment leaves out Clause 3, where the Bill disapplies large chunks of the Human Rights Act and replaces it instead with one very limited disapplication of the Act to allow the Secretary of State to lay positive UNHCR advice before Parliament. This seems a necessary corrective to the wider issues in the Bill and supports the other amendments tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti, to Clause 1 of the Bill, to give the UNHCR a role in providing positive advice on the safety of Rwanda before any asylum seekers can be sent there.

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Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: Bishop of Chelmsford points out importance of equality before the law

On 14th February 2024, the Bishop of Chelmsford spoke in a committee debate on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, in support of amendment amendment 33 to the bill, which specified the route to be taken by Parliament if a court declares the bill incompatible with the Human Rights Act 1998:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, I support Amendment 33 from the noble Lord, Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate, to which I am a signatory. I am grateful to the noble Lord for the amendment and I welcome the opportunity to discuss the role of Parliament if a higher court were to declare this legislation to be incompatible with the convention right, or indeed a number of rights.

We should not forget that the Government have been unable to make a statement in the Bill that it is compatible with convention rights. As the Government nevertheless wish Parliament to proceed with the Bill, it seems prudent to probe what the role of Parliament would be in determining how any potential incompatibility should be addressed. In fact, the Attorney-General has said in the Government’s own legal position paper that it should be for Parliament to address any determination of incompatibility by the courts. The noble Lord, Lord Kirkhope, has eloquently set out the motivation for this amendment, and I agree that what it does is simply to expound what parliamentary sovereignty would look like in this context.

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Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: Bishop of Leeds raises concerns over indefinite declaration of Rwanda’s safety

The Bishop of Leeds spoke in a debate on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill on 14th February 2024, pointing out the need for demonstration of Rwanda’s safety, and the risks associated with the country’s safety being declared indefinitely:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I will be very brief. I endorse the speech by the noble Lord, Lord Deben. I want to question slightly the use of truth because there is a difference between truth and factuality. Something can be not factual, but it can be true. Let us look at a parable, for example. We have not even got as far as factuality when we are talking about truth. To put it very simply—I am in terrible danger of evoking Immanuel Kant here, but I will try to avoid that—if I say I am a banana, it does not make me a banana. There has to be some credible questioning of that. I am not a banana. A country does not become safe because someone says it is, even if a Government say that. That has to be demonstrated, and it has to be open to question, particularly, as has been said many times, because the word “is”—we are getting very Clintonesque in his impeachment hearings when we get into the meaning of “is”—has a permanence about it that does not allow for the possibility of change. I fail to see rationally how this is such a problem for the Government, other than that there is an ideological drive in this which is not open to argument.

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Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: Bishop of Bristol supports amendments related to implementation of UK-Rwanda Treaty

On 14th February 2024, during a debate on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, the Bishop of Bristol spoke in support of amendments 19, 21, 25 and 28 to the bill on behalf of the Bishop of Manchester, relating to the proper implementation of the Rwanda Treaty, and introducing further safeguards relating to verifying Rwanda’s safety:

The Bishop of Bristol

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, my right reverend friend the Bishop of Manchester regrets that he cannot be here today to speak to Amendments 19, 21, 25 and 28 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Carlile of Berriew, to which he has added his name. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Anderson of Ipswich, for setting out the case clearly, and I am particularly grateful to follow the noble Lord, Lord Clarke of Nottingham, as he has made the case so powerfully.

The Bishop of Manchester

My right reverend friend and I are concerned, not as lawyers but as citizens, about the constitutional precedent the Bill sets. The role of the judiciary as distinct from the Government and Parliament must not be infringed. Parliament creates laws but judges and juries are responsible for the finding of facts. Where the Supreme Court has ruled that Rwanda is not safe, it is an abuse of Parliament’s powers, as we have just heard, for it to attempt to declare otherwise. 

We are concerned that the Bill represents a dangerous step. The amendments in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, therefore attempt to preserve the important principle that facts should be considered by the courts. We must surely be able to take into account credible evidence that Rwanda is not a safe country.

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Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: Bishop of Bristol speaks in favour of amendments protecting armed forces workers and victims of modern slavery

On 14th February 2024, the House of Lords debated the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill in committee. The Bishop of Bristol spoke in support of amendment 75 to the bill, which would introduce an exemption clause to prevent those who had worked with UK armed forces or the UK government overseas, or their families, from being sent to Rwanda. She also spoke in support of amendments 70, 73, and 85, on the issue of protecting victims of modern slavery from removal to Rwanda:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I am grateful to all those supporting Amendment 75 and for the speeches on it. I am further grateful to the noble Lords, Lord Kerr and Lord Alton, and the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti—they are all helping us to delve deeper into the legal and moral issues in these amendments. I am particularly grateful to the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Butler-Sloss, who has set out her Amendments 70, 73 and 85, to which I have subscribed my name.

This issue is close to my heart, as I speak on behalf of the Church of England on human trafficking and modern slavery issues. I do so from the city of Bristol, with its history of slavery and its current commitment to prevent human trafficking and slavery, including domestically—we train our lay officers to spot the signs of those hiding in plain sight—and to provide refuge for those on their journey through the NRM. I was also particularly grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Deben: I think that I will miss church downstairs, so I am grateful that he has brought church upstairs in his Ash Wednesday words to us about the deep moral issues in our debate today.

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