Asylum: UK-Rwanda Agreement

Baroness Kingsmill Excerpts

Monday 22nd January 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Kingsmill (Lab)]

My Lords, I am grateful for the indulgence of the House for allowing me a few minutes in the gap before the parties’ Front-Benchers speak. I was very lucky and grateful to be a member of the International Agreements Committee, and I was very pleased to be under the chairmanship of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Goldsmith.

I will make some brief points. It is important to understand that Rwanda is a country with a tragic past—but it is trying its best to overcome that. It has made significant progress in that respect: it is a member of the Commonwealth and is committed to free and fair elections and to the rule of law. However, it is a very poor country, and it lacks the capacity to fulfil the demands made on it by this treaty. It simply cannot do so in the immediate or mid-term future; it does not have the capacity or money. It has the willingness to do it, and with the support of this country and perhaps others, it may get it done sooner or later. But right now, it simply does not have that capacity.

We must think about that, because we too do not have the capacity to deal properly with our immigration. There are significant shortages of judges, which the courts feel all the time. The waiting lists for dealing with such cases are growing by the day. The appeals process has well over 2,000 people waiting to have their appeals heard. We lack the capacity, so for us to think that we can impose this kind of behaviour on a developing country such as Rwanda is asking a great deal.

I will not detain the House any longer; I am only allowed two minutes, so I will give way to another member of my committee.

Violence against Women and Girls

Baroness Kingsmill Excerpts

Monday 25th November 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I concur with the message that my noble friend suggests, although I have to say that we have not considered that particular campaign. None the less, it will be interesting to see how it works in Spain.

[Baroness Kingsmill (Lab)]

My Lords, would the Minister agree that perhaps what we really ought to focus on is prevention? By prevention, I mean that we should educate young men and boys not to use violence against women and to learn how to honour and respect women. Could not our national curriculum possibly be improved by having such lessons?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

A lot can be done in schools and, of course, a lot can be done outside schools by those people fortunate to live in parental custody, and by parents themselves treating each other with mutual respect. The Home Office has had—and I alluded to it earlier—a very successful national teenage rape prevention campaign, which was extended into a teenage relationship abuse campaign, because it was recognised that rape was only one aspect of the abuse that young females might suffer from young men. The figures and responses show that these campaigns have struck home and have had a real impact on young people’s relationships. That is why we are intending to relaunch the campaign on, I think, 5 December. We feel that that is the right way in which to go about it.

Riots Communities and Victims Panel

Baroness Kingsmill Excerpts

Thursday 1st December 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Henley]

My Lords, the right reverend Prelate is quite right to draw attention to all those who did such sterling work during and after the riots. We all owe an immense debt of gratitude to them. I think we should also learn what we can about how some communities came together and either prevented riots or cleaned up after them. Again, I believe that there are lessons to be learnt, and the Government will take note of that in due course.

[Baroness Kingsmill]

My Lords, in the light of the Minister’s remarks on the riots and in the light of his obvious condemnation of the violence that was incurred by them, will he also add his voice to those condemning the remarks of Mr Jeremy Clarkson last night that strikers should be put up against a wall and shot in front of their families?