The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 21st October 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government whether the plan to allocate additional Official Development Assistance (ODA) for (1) 2024–25, and (2) 2025–26, to compensate for the share of ODA being spent on refugees in the United Kingdom.
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The Bishop of Sheffield spoke in support of the Refugees (Family Reunion) Bill, a private members bill tabled by Baroness Hamwee, at its second reading on 18th October:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I commend the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, for bringing forward this important Bill, and I acknowledge the work of other noble Lords on similar Bills.
The sustained interest in a Bill of this kind should tell us something: that the current route to family reunion is unduly restrictive and prohibitive. Government data shows that in 2023 there were over 7,000 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in the care of local authorities in the UK, 141 of those in the communities that I serve as bishop in Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.
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The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 7th October 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risk of renewed violence in South Sudan during that country’s upcoming election.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about issues facing African countries, and refugees in Myanmar”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 16th May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked his Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 15th May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government whether they intend to resume funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), following the publication of the Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality on 22 April.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about funding for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)”The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 10th May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent Refugee Council report Keys to the City 2024: ending refugee homelessness in London and its finding that in the two years to September 2023, there was a 239 per cent increase in refugees requiring homelessness support from local authorities after being evicted from Home Office asylum accommodation.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about homelessness among refugees”The Bishop of Leicester spoke in a debate on the use of UK aid to support minorities in Pakistan on 25th April 2024, highlighting the cases of Christians facing persecution in the country and the possibility of establishing a route for small numbers of Pakistani Christians to seek asylum in the UK:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for securing this debate, and I commend his tireless campaigning over the years for the UK to defend and support the rights of minorities in Pakistan. I will focus on two specific issues raised with me by members of the large Pakistani heritage community in Leicester: first, the plight of Christians forced to work as gutter cleaners with no personal protective equipment; and, secondly, the need for a small, safe and legal route for persecuted minorities to come to the UK.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about possibility of establishing limited safe route to the UK for persecuted religious minorities in Pakistan”On 17th April 2024, the House of Lords debated Commons reasons and amendments to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill. Votes were held on further amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
On 16th April 2024, the House of Lords debated Commons reasons and amendments to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill. Votes were held on further amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
On 16th April 2024, during a debate on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, the Bishop of Bristol spoke in support of an amendment tabled by Lord Coaker, which would stipulate that the bill should have due regard for international law, the Children Act 1989, the Human Rights Act 1998, and the Modern Slavery Act 2015:
The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I welcome the amendment from the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, particularly the detail of the inclusion in it of the Modern Slavery Act 2015; it is a detail except for those who have been, or may well have been, trafficked. There are as many as 4,000 people in the national referral mechanism whose cases are currently to be determined. That is absolutely right and proper under current legislation, and that legislation should be taken into account as part of the implementation of this Bill.
Continue reading “Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: Bishop of Bristol supports amendment on due regard for international and domestic law”
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