Tag: immigration

Asylum Application (Entry to the United Kingdom) Bill – First Reading

On 29th November 2023, the Bishop of Chelmsford’s Private Member’s Bill, the Asylum Application (Entry to the United Kingdom) Bill, was introduced and had its first reading in the House of Lords:

Asylum Application (Entry to the United Kingdom) Bill [HL]

A Bill to make provision for leave to enter the United Kingdom to be granted to people for the purposes of making an application for asylum; and for connected purposes.

The Bill was introduced by the Bishop of Chelmsford, read a first time and ordered to be printed.

Hansard

Bishop of Durham asks about immigration detention and asylum

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 29th November 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked  what steps they are taking over the immigration detention estate to ensure the use of force is continually monitored and recorded for all detainees, and particularly vulnerable adults and children.

Lord Sharpe Epsom (Con, Home Office): We will accept nothing but the highest standards from companies employed to manage the immigration removal estate.

Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about immigration detention and asylum”

Votes: Motions to Regret – Age Assessments

On 27th November 2023, the House of Lords debated new regulations regarding Age Assessment as part of immigration control. Votes were held on two Motions to Regret regarding the regulations, in which a Bishop took part:

Continue reading “Votes: Motions to Regret – Age Assessments”

Bishop of London speaks in debate on age-determination regulations in immigration enforcement

The Bishop of London spoke in a debate on a motion to approve the use of X-rays as age determining tools for individuals subject to immigration control on 27th November 2023, raising the issue of informed consent, and of potential lack of capacity to perform the required X-rays:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I promise that I will be brief. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, for moving this regret amendment and thank all those who have spoken so far and so well. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Winston, for pointing out that this is not science; it is the use of scientific instruments. My two concerns relate to consent, as many have spoken about, and to the workforce.

Continue reading “Bishop of London speaks in debate on age-determination regulations in immigration enforcement”

Bishop of St Albans asks about long-term immigration and asylum plans

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the government’s long term asylum and immigration strategy on 20th November 2023, following a government statement regarding the Supreme Court Judgement on the proposed Rwanda Immigration Partnership:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, we on these Benches are quite clear that we cannot have open borders, that we must stop people risking their lives, and that we need to stop the people smugglers. But we are also clear that we cannot export our moral responsibilities towards those seeking sanctuary on to the shores of another country, be it Rwanda or anywhere else. This is such a long-term, complex, worldwide problem that we need a long-term strategy for tackling this refugee crisis, in concert with our global partners, so while the Government are proposing some immediate new laws, what are they doing to address the scale of the problem, to provide long-term certainty? Will the Minister commit to developing and publishing a long-term strategy so that we can all try to engage with this in a much more measured way?

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about long-term immigration and asylum plans”

Bishop of St Albans asks about numbers of doctors coming to the UK from overseas

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the number of doctors coming to work in the UK from other countries in the last year on 20th November 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, how many doctors, including GPs, have come from outside the UK in the last year for which we have records? What long-term plan is there to stop us relying on having to bring in doctors from countries that need them far more than we do because they are much poorer than here in the UK?

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about numbers of doctors coming to the UK from overseas”

Bishop of Durham asks about regulations affecting refugees and asylum seekers

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 17th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked  His Majesty’s Government from what date asylum applications were first treated as withdrawn on the basis that the claimant failed to report or to inform the Home Office of a change of address.

Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con, Home Office): We do not currently publish data on the date asylum claims were first treated as withdrawn on the basis that the claimant failed to report or to inform the Home Office of a change of address. However, official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, as well as quality and availability of data.

Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about regulations affecting refugees and asylum seekers”

Bishop of Durham asks about reinstation of asylum applications

The Bishop of Durham asked a question on time allowed for consideration of asylum requests, during a discussion on the asylum applications backlog on 6th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: Returning to the question from the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, how long does the Home Office consider a reasonable length of time for an asylum seeker to provide reasons and evidence as to why their asylum request should be reinstated after receiving a decision and the application is withdrawn? Will the Government publish statistics on the number of applicants reinstated?

Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about reinstation of asylum applications”

Bishop of Southwark participates in debate marking 75th Anniversary of the Windrush Generation

On 7th July 2023, the Bishop of Southwark took part in a debate marking the 75th anniversary of the Windrush Generation, speaking about the history of the Empire Windrush and the need for appreciation of the contribution of immigrants to the UK:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I am grateful to His Majesty’s Government for the opportunity to debate this important anniversary. On 22 June, together with the Archbishop of the Province of the West Indies, I had the privilege of welcoming to the national service at Southwark Cathedral Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, bishops from the Caribbean and England, other church leaders, members of the community and, prominently, members of the Windrush generation and their descendants. It was a witness to and thanksgiving for 75 years of change in Britain, the contribution that those pioneers made, how we have changed as a nation and the burdens we have made that generation bear.

The previous week, I attended a reception hosted by His Majesty the King at Buckingham Palace, at which the portraits he had commissioned—we have heard about them—of members of the Windrush generation were exhibited. We not only marvelled at the art but met both sitters and artists. As many of your Lordships will know, the King has previously commissioned series of portraits down the years for those engaged variously in the Battle of Britain and the D-day landings, as well as for those who survived the Holocaust. In each case, we witness in paint people who are the product of extraordinary lives and whose essential character is distilled on to canvas for future generations to remember, interpret and cherish.

Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark participates in debate marking 75th Anniversary of the Windrush Generation”

Illegal Migration Bill: Bishop of Southwark speaks to Bishop of Durham’s amendment on detention conditions for vulnerable individuals

On 7th June 2023, during a committee debate on the Illegal Migration Bill, the Bishop of Southwark spoke in support of the Bishop of Durham’s amendment 78, which would allow exceptions to the bill’s proposed ouster of judicial review during the first 28 days of detention, for vulnerable individuals such as children, pregnant women, and those with mental health issues:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 78, tabled by the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Durham, who is unable to be here at this early hour. I know that he is grateful to the noble Baronesses, Lady Lister and Lady Neuberger, for their support.

A statutory regime of clinical screening for people at risk of harm in detention and for healthcare professionals to be able to report concerns to the Home Office has been a cornerstone of safeguarding in immigration detention since 2001—and rightly so. This amendment looks to ensure that this process does not become inconsequential by preventing the necessary legal oversight of detention decisions. Given the technical nature of the issues relating to medical reporting in detention centres, I will focus my comments on the context of this amendment and set out a few key questions for the Minister.

Continue reading “Illegal Migration Bill: Bishop of Southwark speaks to Bishop of Durham’s amendment on detention conditions for vulnerable individuals”