The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 21st February 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government whether UK donations of COVID-19 vaccinations to other countries ever have conditions attached to the donation; and if so, what conditions have been placed on donations.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about conditions of vaccine donation”The Bishop of Durham asked a question on refugees fleeing the country during a debate on the ongoing humanitarian situation in Afghanistan on 9th February 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, it is very good how much is being given. Operation Herrick cost us at least £22 billion and we managed to find that, so I hope we can release more generous aid rapidly. There is also a humanitarian issue for Afghans who have been freed and are now here but whose families are still in hiding for fear in Afghanistan. Can the Minister update us on how those people are going to be got out of Afghanistan?
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan”During a debate on amendments to the Nationality and Borders Bill in its fourth day of the Committee stage, on 8th February 2022, the Bishop of Durham spoke in support of amendments targeted towards ensuring family reunion for migrants, particularly refugees and unaccompanied minors:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I specifically support Amendment 117, to which I have added my name, but I support all these amendments around family reunion. I declare my interests in the register around RAMP and Reset as before.
Acknowledging that when people are forcibly displaced they end up in different places, often having lost family members, UNHCR research has shown that families often set out together but become separated along the way. Reconnecting those families, or, where some family members are lost, reconnecting people with other relatives, really matters. In seeking protection, those seeking asylum want to do so alongside the family that they have. This is better for individuals—their well-being and their future prospects—and for the community as a whole. It is therefore also better for social integration.
Continue reading “Nationality and Borders Bill: Bishop of Durham supports amendments around family reunion”On 8th February 2022, the House of Lords debated the Nationality and Borders Bill in its fourth day of the Committee stage. The Bishop of Durham spoke in support of amendments 100 and 101, tabled by Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate, that would remove the powers in the bill to “offshore” asylum seekers before the consideration of their claims:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, in rising to support Amendments 100 and 101, to which I have added my name, I declare my interests in relation to both the RAMP project and Reset, as set out in the register.
When people arrive on our shores seeking protection, we have a responsibility to treat them as we would wish to be treated if we had to flee for our lives. It is right that we have a process to determine who meets the criteria for refugee status, but while we determine this, we are responsible for people’s safety, welfare and care. If we move them to other countries for the processing of their asylum claims, I fear a blind eye will be turned to their treatment. How will we be sure that they are being treated humanely and fairly, and would our Government even give this much concern once they had left our shores? If we look to the experience of Australia and the refugees accommodated in Nauru, as the noble Lord, Lord Kirkhope, has just mentioned, we hear deeply shocking accounts of abuse, inhumane treatment and mental and physical ill-health.
As mentioned in relation to an earlier amendment, I visited Napier barracks last week to see improvements that have been made since the exposure of the disgraceful conditions at the beginning of last year. If what we have seen at Napier is permitted to happen in the UK, what can we expect overseas, where accountability and monitoring will be so much harder? The monitoring of asylum accommodation contractors in the UK is poor, which gives us some idea about the level of monitoring we could expect of offshore processing.
Continue reading “Nationality and Borders Bill: Bishop of Durham speaks in support of amendments on offshoring of asylum seekers”On 31st January 2022, during a debate on the Sue Gray report concerning the events in Downing Street during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Bishop of Durham raised the question of trust in the Prime Minister:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I thank the Leader for all she has done so far. I spend time talking to children, and sometimes they cut to the chase. Last week, year 6 children in primary schools said to me, “Do you trust the Prime Minister? Can we trust him?” They were not interested in parties, civil servants and special advisers. It was: can we trust the Prime Minister?
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park (Con): As the Statement makes clear, the Prime Minister has said to the people of this country that he knows the issue is trust and that we are a Government who can be trusted to deliver. He also understands that we need to work tirelessly to prove that.
The Bishop of Durham asked a question on the government’s plans to tackle economic crime on 31st January 2023, during a debate on the planned Economic Crime Bill:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, those who decide to perpetrate economic crime are apparently targeted, swift and very bright about how they do it. I read the Statement and it mentions the Home Office, the Treasury and BEIS. Is it not time for more targeted, thought-through, quick action by government, rather than action that is divided across too many departments?
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about targeted action to tackle economic crime”The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 31st January 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government how many cases have been reported to the Department for Work and Pensions via the coroners focal point since February 2020.
Baroness Stedman-Scott (Con): From February 2020 to January 2022, 46 cases have been raised via this channel. This figure includes enquires made by the police and other bodies, and erroneous referrals where we signposted the enquirer elsewhere as appropriate.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about deaths relating to the benefits system”During a debate on the Nationality and Borders Bill on 27th January 2022, the Bishop of Durham voiced his support for amendments to ensure that British Citizenship should not be withheld from a stateless child born in the UK:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I am trying to imagine how it could ever be in the best interests of a child born and raised in this country not to be given the right to be a citizen of this country. In what possible circumstances could we decide that it would be in the best interests of someone born and raised in this country to be decreed, at the age of 13 or 14, a citizen of another state? That is the situation. You could almost forget the 1961 convention, human rights and so on; we are simply talking about the best interests of the child. You can then back it up with all the international stuff on top. I support these amendments.
Continue reading “Nationality and Borders Bill: Bishop of Durham speaks in support of amendments on children’s citizenship”The Bishop of Durham spoke in a debate on the imposition of sanctions on Burundi on 19th January 2022, asking that the government consider the impact of sanctions on the poor and keep existing regulations under review:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I rise to make some comments—I should probably explain why a bishop is doing so. I have been a regular visitor to Burundi since 2000. I have made a number of visits, which have largely been to church leaders, but one occasion included meeting President Nkurunziza when he was in power. I have therefore experienced the deep poverty of Burundi first hand—and it is very deep. It is one of the five poorest nations on earth. My visits are not confined to staying in the capital city—it was Bujumbura but is now Gitega—but include going out meeting ordinary people in villages around the nation.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham speaks on impact of sanctions on Burundi”The Bishop of Durham asked a question on adequacy of support offered to larger families by the Department for Work and Pensions on 11th January 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of support offered by the Department for Work and Pensions to larger families.
Baroness Stedman-Scott (Con, DWP): No assessment has been made as every household has different requirements. While there is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of support should be, the department will spend more than £110 billion this year—4.8% of GDP—on working-age benefits. Additionally, the Government offer a wide range of support to families with children depending on their circumstances, including free school meals, childcare, Healthy Start vouchers and the household support fund.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham tables question on support for larger families”
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