Bishop of Coventry – stopping people smugglers and dangerous channel crossings requires more than policy of deterrence

“a policy that does not go beyond deterrence is not sufficient”

On November 25th 2021 the House of Lords debated a motion from Baroness Hoey, “That this House takes note of the number of migrants arriving in the United Kingdom illegally by boat“.

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Hoey, for securing this debate, especially at this time. I was helped this morning by the “Thought for the Day” from my colleague, the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Leeds, in which he said that this is a time to dig deeper into our emotions and face the grief we feel at the loss of humanity. It is that sense of grief, our common commitment to the preservation and dignity of life, as well as to a passion for justice for those suffering the ills and evils of the world, which unites us. The noble Baroness, Lady Hoey, demonstrated that.

Our shared grief is the proof we do not really need of the humanity and vulnerability that unites us. These common concerns, which underpin both our aim to stop migrants making dangerous journeys and our grief today, are the same concerns and moral instincts that require us to sit back and face the reality that a policy that does not go beyond deterrence is not sufficient.

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Church Commissioner Written Answers: Asylum Seekers and Baptism

22nd November 2021

Baptism: Asylum

Chris Loder: [76831] To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how many services the Church of England has conducted specifically for the purposes of Baptising people seeking asylum in each of the last five years.

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Bishop of Durham asks about use of Napier Barracks to house people seeking asylum

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 22nd November 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government whether they sought planning permission from Shepway District Council for the continued use of Napier Barracks to house people seeking asylum; and if not, why not.

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Bishop of Durham asks about impact of decision to use Napier Barracks as a facility for housing people seeking asylum

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 16th November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on integration of housing people seeking asylum in Napier Barracks.

Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con, Home Office): The ongoing use of Napier Barracks is necessary to meet the demand to accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. The support and integration of asylum seekers accommodated in Napier is the same as those accommodated in other types of accommodation.

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Bishop of Durham asks about cases of COVID-19 among asylum seekers at Napier Barracks

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 1st November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government how many cases of COVID-19 there have been at Napier Barracks since April.

Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con, Home Office): Twelve people have tested positive for coronavirus whilst accommodated at Napier Barracks since April 2021.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about delays in issuing payment cards to asylum seekers

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 22nd June 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of delays in the issuing of the Aspen payment cards to asylum seekers.

Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con): The PrePaid Financial Services (PFS) solution is a well-established Mastercard pre-paid card used by organisations across the UK as well as abroad and has undergone over 5 months of rigorous testing to integrate with Home Office systems.

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Bishop of Durham asks about temporary accommodation for asylum seekers

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 28th April 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government:

  • how many asylum seekers with school-age children are currently housed in contingency accommodation; and how long they expect it will be before such asylum seekers are allocated dispersal accommodation.
  • whether there is a list of requirements that dispersal accommodation must meet.
  • what requirements they have established with Migrant Help (1) to log and record every call made to the service by asylum seekers in contingency accommodation, and (2) to set a target time for responding to issues raised in these calls, as part of its contracts with that charity; and what assessment they have made of whether Migrant Help is fulfilling any such requirements in carrying out such contracts.
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Bishop of Durham asks about housing for asylum seekers

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 26th April 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government how many asylum seekers they have asked (1) Mears, (2) Serco, and (3) Clearsprings Ready Homes, to provide accommodation for as part of Operation Oak.

Lord Greenhalgh (Con, Home Office): We currently have c8100 people in hotels, with our providers working to procure sufficient accommodation across the UK to exit contingency accommodation and maintain a business as usual operation thereafter.

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Bishop of Durham asks about housing and services provided for asylum seekers

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 12th April 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government how many members of staff working for asylum accommodation providers have received the training specified in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Statement of Requirements; and whether training for staff who have face-to-face contact with service users is stipulated in Home Office contracts with providers.

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Bishop of London asks about use of military barracks as asylum accommodation

The Bishop of London received the following written answer on 22nd February 2021:

The Lord Bishop of London asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the outbreak of COVID-19 at Napier Barracks, what plans they have to end the use of such barracks as asylum accommodation; and if they have no such plans, what steps they intend to take to ensure (1) that social distancing measures are adhered to, and (2) that the dignity and freedom of residents is upheld.

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