On 22nd November 2021, the Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the impact of the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region on peacekeeping in East Africa, and on the refugee population of the area:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, this is a very unstable region of Africa. Ethiopia has proved crucial to stability in UN peacekeeping as well. Can the Minister say, first, how any diminution in the Ethiopian contribution to UN peacekeeping is being mitigated or compensated for elsewhere? Secondly, what is his assessment of the refugee crisis caused despite the welcome restoration of the transitional Government in Sudan?
The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 22nd November 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government:
what assessment they have made of the impact of the reduction in their funding of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees for 2021 compared to 2020.
what assessment they have made of (1) the financial position of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, and (2) the sustainability of the Agency’s provision of services to Palestinian refugees.
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 22nd November 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government:
whether family reunion rights will be restricted for all group 2 refugees as a result of the proposed changes to the law in the Nationality and Borders Bill.
assessment they have made of the impact of the proposed changes to family reunion rights in the Nationality and Borders Bill on the number of (1) men, (2) women, and (3) children, who will come to the UK via family reunion; whether they expect the number of such people to be lower than in previous years; and if so, by how many.
The Bishop of Worcester received the following written answers on 11th October 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the current levels of internally displaced persons in Afghanistan, and (2) current and future refugee flows from Afghanistan to (a) Pakistan, (b) Tajikistan, (c) Iran, (d) Uzbekistan, and (e) Turkmenistan.
On 7th September 2021, during a debate on the situation in Afghanistan, the Bishop of Durham asked about the provision of commercial air services to evacuate people from the country, and support for local authorities in providing housing to incoming refugees:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, sometimes very unexpected conversations occur. On my journey down from the north-east this morning, I found myself spending two hours talking with someone who had done seven tours of service in Afghanistan and nearly 10 years’ service in security. It is painful to talk to someone who is showing you on their phone the photos of them in the cargo plane coming out and hear his story.
The Archbishop of York asked a question on the expedition of new and existing asylum claims for Afghan nationals in the UK on 6th September 2021, during a debate on the progress of bilateral return agreements with EU states for the return of asylum seekers arriving in the United Kingdom:
The Lord Archbishop of York: My Lords, care and justice for asylum seekers is obviously a matter very close to the heart of the Church, Jesus himself being a refugee. Last week, the Church of England published a toolkit for the many churches that have asked us what they can do to support Afghan refugees. The Minister will know that the Church and other faith communities are among the main support works for asylum seekers. There are more than 3,000 Afghan nationals with existing asylum claims waiting for a decision, some of whom have been waiting a long time. What steps are the Government taking to expedite procedures for dealing with existing or new asylum claims by Afghan nationals, given the very changed situation and the particular stress and trauma felt by these people?
During a meeting of the House of Lords on 18th August 2021 to discuss the situation in Afghanistan following withdrawal of international troops and the Taliban entering Kabul, the Archbishop of Canterbury paid tribute to the people of Afghanistan and urged that the government policy towards refugees be guided by morality rather than numbers:
The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: My Lords, I look forward especially to hearing noble and gallant Lords, diplomats and others with local knowledge of Afghanistan. We rightly remember the courage, suffering and sacrifice over the past 20 years and the courage being shown currently by our ambassador and service- people in Afghanistan, together with their colleagues, and reporters.
When we look back, I remember a cathedral full for the funeral of a soldier: family and many colleagues silent in dignity, some wounded, mourning their loss. The failure we face today is not military or diplomatic—they did all they could—it is political. Recovery and hope will come to Afghanistan with our supporting commitment to the neediest and most desperate. We have proven capacities in soft as well as hard power. We owe an absolute, lavishly generous moral covenant to all those who are at risk because they served with us in Afghanistan or took seriously our frequently professed commitment to its future, women and girls included.
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 21st July 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of people likely to be resettled this year under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme; and how that figure compares to (1) 2018, and (2) 2019.
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 20th July 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government how many individuals have been resettled under its Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme since the scheme restarted.
Baroness Barran (Con, Home Office): In December 2020, the UK resumed resettlement following a pause due to the pandemic. On 25 February 2021 the Government met its target of resettling 20,000 refugees who have fled the conflict in Syria through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Since then, the Government has continued to welcome refugees through the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS).
On 27th May 2021 the House of Lords debated the Government’s Immigration Rules and Statements of Changes to them. A Motion to Regret the Statements was moved by Lord Green of Deddington, though not put to a vote. His Motion read:
“That this House regrets that the Statements of changes to the Immigration Rules (HC813, HC1043 and HC1248), published respectively on 22 October 2020, 10 December 2020 and 4 March, do not provide clear and comprehensible descriptions of the changes proposed, nor of their likely effect. Special attention drawn by the Secondary Legislation Committee, 33rd and 40th Reports, Session 2019–21.”
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Green of Deddington, for securing this important debate on his Motion to Regret. Last year, several Members of your Lordships’ House cautioned against the major extension of the Government’s capacity to make law with minimal recourse to Parliament in the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Act. Today, at the initiative of the noble Lord, Lord Green of Deddington, and not of Her Majesty’s Government, we have 90 minutes to examine three statutory instruments relating to the Immigration Rules, one of which runs to 507 pages. All three were subject to the negative resolution, which involved little or no scrutiny of such important areas of life. Your Lordships’ House last defeated Her Majesty’s Government by praying against a negative resolution 21 years ago. Is the Minister satisfied with the level of scrutiny that these statutory instruments have received? Would she agree with me that it would have been better to publish them first in draft and to seek the views of both Houses in a debate?
The Church of England in Parliament 
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