Safety of Rwanda (Asylum & Immigration) Bill: Bishop of Durham questions support for refugees available in Rwanda and raises risks of modern slavery

On 29th January 2024, the House of Lords debated the the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum & Immigration) Bill. The Bishop of Durham spoke in the debate, questioning, based on his experience of the country through his role as Bishop, whether Rwanda would be able to adequately support refugees relocated from the UK, and highlighting the risks to refugees in the country, particularly in terms of modern slavery:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I declare my interests as laid out in the register. I stand in agreement with the arguments already made regarding the domestic constitutional, international standing and human rights concerns surrounding this Bill. I echo the belief that we should not outsource our moral and legal responsibilities to refugees and asylum seekers. However, today I hope to bring some insight to this debate through my own experience of Rwanda.

Rwanda is a country that I love. It is a country that I have travelled to on 20 occasions since 1997. I have observed the amazing transformation of Kigali and some aspects of the whole nation. My visits take me to rural villages, small towns and cities, not simply the glamour of a great international city. I have had the privilege of becoming friends with many local people whom I have met and stayed with there. The conversations I had there last August further led me to conclude that this policy will simply not work.

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Safety of Rwanda (Asylum & Immigration) Bill: Archbishop of Canterbury raises concerns over potential damaging impact of legislation

The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke in a debate on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum & Immigration) Bill on 29th January 2024, expressing concern that the legislation would be damaging to the UK in outsourcing asylum to another country, calling on the government to establish a wider strategy for refugee policy and to lead internationally on this:

The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: My Lords, in almost every tradition of global faith and humanism around the world, the dignity of the individual is at the heart of what is believed. In the Christian tradition, we are told to welcome the stranger. Jesus said:

“I was a stranger and you invited me in”.

In numerous places in the Old Testament and the New, the commands of God are to care for the alien and stranger. It has already been said, and I agree, that the way that this Bill and its cousin, which we debated in the summer, work is by obscuring the truth that all people, asylum seekers included, are of great value. We can, as a nation, do better than this Bill.

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Bishop of London asks about possibility of collaboration with EU on cancer research

The Bishop of London asked a question on UK efforts to collaborate with the EU in cancer research on 29th January 2024, during a discussion on a projected £1 billion gap in cancer research funding:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, as the noble Lord, Lord Stevens, will know, Cancer Research reported in its 2023 researcher survey that while 98% of respondents said that collaboration with EU-based scientists is important, 79% said that since Brexit it had been harder to begin new collaborations with EU-based researchers and scientists. What steps are the Government taking to prioritise collaboration between the EU and the UK in this area, especially with compatibility with the EU clinical trials regulatory framework?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about human rights abuses in Xinjiang, China

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • what discussions they have had with counterparts in other governments about taking action to impose targeted sanctions on Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
  •  what representations they have made to the government of China regarding the treatment of Uighurs and other Turkic people in Xinjiang.
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Bishop of Gloucester asks about availability of video-calls in prisons

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government (1) how many, and (2) what proportion, of prisons in England and Wales currently provide secure video calls for prisoners.

Lord Bellamy (Con, Ministry of Justice): All prisons (100%) across England and Wales have the capability to offer secure video calls with approved family members and friends, responding to demand from prisoners.

Hansard

Bishop of Worcester asks about steps towards a ceasefire and investigation into the conflict in Gaza

The Bishop of Worcester received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:

The Bishop of Worcester asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking (1) to secure a ceasefire, and (2) to press for an investigation by the International Criminal Court of violations of international humanitarian law, in Gaza.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The UK wants to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible. We are calling for an immediate humanitarian pause to get aid in and hostages out, and as a vital first step towards building a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life. But to achieve that:

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Bishop of St Albans asks about protection of religious and cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the protection of religious and cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, and what representations they are making to the government of Azerbaijan in this regard.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about accountability for freeholders

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure freeholders are held to account for essential services provided to leaseholders.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con): The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill will ensure that leaseholders receive minimum key financial and non-financial information on a regular basis including through a standardised service charge demand form and an annual report. This will help them scrutinise and more effectively challenge their landlord if they consider their fees are unreasonable.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about mining regulations in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo about strengthening and enforcing national laws regarding mining and evictions in line with international human rights standards.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about support for UK Citizens named in criminal proceedings in Hong Kong

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what support they are providing to those UK citizens names as co-conspirators in the trial of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.

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