Ukraine: Refugees

Baroness Pidding Excerpts

Wednesday 6th April 2022 Grand Committee

[Baroness Pidding (Con)]

My Lords, I start by thanking the noble Baroness, Lady Helic, for bringing forward this debate and sharing her personal experience. I also join others, rather belatedly, in welcoming my noble friend the Minister to the House. I very much look forward to hearing his official maiden speech. What is a loss to the Green Benches is most definitely a real gain for us. I have known him for some years, including through campaigning for him in Watford. He was a joy to work alongside and, I know, left big shoes to fill. He has a reputation for getting things done, and he does this through the most admirable work ethic and his generous warmth. I know that he will become, and is already becoming, a popular figure on all sides of this House. My noble friend really is a most welcome addition to our Benches and will be a most effective Minister.

None of us can have escaped the feelings of revulsion, horror and outrage—and, ultimately, of rank desperation —at the scenes we have witnessed in Ukraine over past weeks. To witness the dissemination of a European nation by a cold-blooded invader invokes the very worst images from the bowels of history. The scenes in Bucha remind us of one of the massacres in Srebrenica, and the destruction of Mariupol conjures images of Europe’s shattered cities after World War II. The cruel rhetoric of Vladimir Putin apes the likes of Hitler, Milošević and Ceausescu. But in this darkness is also light: the bravery of the Ukrainian people, their fortitude, spirit and courage, also reminds us of the very best of human endeavour.

I am proud of the role that the United Kingdom has played in Ukraine. From training more than 20,000 of the country’s armed forces since Russia’s first incursion into the country in 2014, to the Government’s decision to provide Ukrainian armed forces with the deadly weaponry they need to defend their homeland, to the recent refugee resettlement scheme, we have truly stepped up as a people. However, we must keep asking ourselves what more we can do.

I must express a note of grave concern for what Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means for wider eastern Europe. For three decades, Russian troops have occupied 20% of Georgia, de facto annexing the provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes. More than 30 years since it was invaded, they still have not been able to return home. I urge the Government to continue providing support by whatever possible means, military or financial, to bolster Georgia’s precarious position as the only true democracy in the south Caucasus.

The Russian armed forces continue to occupy an eastern province of Moldova, which they use as a glorified military garrison, while suppressing its local Romanian-speaking population. The challenge in Moldova is even more acute: every day, tens of thousands of internally displaced people from Ukraine continue to pour across its borders, en route to sanctuary in more affluent states further west. For Europe’s poorest country, a nation of 2.6 million people, to have welcomed more than 400,000 refugees is an impressive feat. But the country is at breaking point. I urge the Minister to build on the excellent work that he and his colleagues have already done and continue extending UK financial support to Moldova, Slovakia, Poland and all other frontier nations taking in Ukrainian refugees.

I also pay the fullest tribute to Poland, our country’s greatest European ally, for the leadership it has shown in both the resettlement of refugees and the pursuit of sanctions on Russia. The conclusion of the new trilateral security pact between the UK, Poland and Ukraine offers huge opportunities for our country to continue furthering peace and security in Europe—something every Member of this House welcomes.

In conclusion, I have a further request of the Minister, who I know to be a man of decency and impressive organisational zeal. As a result of the excellent Homes for Ukraine scheme, many refugees have already arrived in the UK. Their immediate needs are taken care of—they are warm, safe and welcome—but we must redouble our efforts to ensure that bureaucratic hurdles are eliminated, including ensuring that they are given the right to work and to contribute freely to society in the UK. I trust the Minister will say more about this in his response.

At a time of conflict, the United Kingdom has always been a sanctuary for the hungry, the poor, the broken and the battered. We will always rise to the challenge and will do so again now.

Police National Computer

Baroness Pidding Excerpts

Tuesday 19th January 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)]

I confirm to the noble Lord that this has no relation to SIS II, so our European partners are not relevant in this case, which is one of human error. The noble Lord talked about criminal records from Greater Manchester Police; it is terrible that crimes have not been recorded and followed up, which my right honourable friend the Policing Minister is incredibly concerned about.

[Baroness Pidding (Con) [V]]

My Lords, can my noble friend confirm that those who are currently relying on data searches via the police national computer for investigations will be able to rerun those searches once the recovery work on the computer is complete? Do we have an estimated time for this work?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)]

I say to my noble friend that they can run them now. On the recovery timescale, as I said, the analysis should be complete by close of play today, and the work will be done to remediate the system as soon as possible after that.

Quarantine: Scientific Advice

Baroness Pidding Excerpts

Wednesday 10th June 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford [V]]

The noble Baroness will know, if she listened to my right honourable friend the Home Secretary the other day, that she is in constant dialogue with the Transport Secretary and countries around the world, looking at innovative techniques for lifting restrictions and, as the noble Lord, Lord St John of Bletso, mentioned, at air bridges and similar measures that could allow travel between countries.

[Baroness Pidding (Con) [V]]

My Lords, there has been much talk recently about bridges and travel corridors. Will the Government consider travel gates to block incoming travellers from certain countries, based on the science—a more targeted, risk-based approach to the screening of passengers?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford [V]]

My noble friend is right. We are aiming for a risk-based approach, based on other countries’ levels of infection and the public health of the people of this country. That is entirely what the strategy is about.

National Asylum Support Service

Baroness Pidding Excerpts

Wednesday 6th May 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Pidding (Con)]

My Lords, my question refers to the wider issue of migrants arriving in the UK. Last month, four boats carrying up to 57 migrants were intercepted by HM Coastguard and the Border Force in the English Channel. Can my noble friend reassure us that our coastguard and Border Force officers are adequately provided with PPE when dealing with such eventualities, and that any such migrants will be given health checks and monitored for signs of Covid-19?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My noble friend is absolutely right that migrants arriving in the UK should be assessed. Certainly, if they are being put into accommodation, we want to ensure that they are not Covid-positive. If anyone moved into initial accommodation —possibly a hostel-type arrangement—is symptomatic, they are moved into hotel-type accommodation so that they can segregate and isolate. I join calls every day with our Border Force colleagues, and I understand that their PPE requirements are adequate.

Istanbul Convention

Baroness Pidding Excerpts

Wednesday 12th July 2017 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, there are quite a few questions in there—but on the devolved Administrations, the noble Baroness is right to ask, and she will know that we liaise regularly with them on issues such as violence against women and girls. The Minister for Vulnerability and Safeguarding has been in touch with her counterparts in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on the issue, and Ministry of Justice officials have had contact with the devolved Administration on this issue.

The noble Baroness touched also on the 2017 Act from Dr Eilidh Whiteford, which attracted a significant amount of media interest, and was sponsored in your Lordships’ House by the noble Baroness. I look forward to debating the issues through the domestic violence and abuse Bill.

[Baroness Pidding (Con)]

My Lords, the Istanbul convention sets out clear obligations to support victims of violence against women and girls. Can my noble friend the Minister assure us what the Government will do to comply with those obligations?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

I am certainly happy to answer my noble friend’s question. To support the Government’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls—or VAWG, as it is also known—we have pledged £100 million in funding. This will help to deliver our goal to work with local commissioners to deliver a secure future for rape support centres, refuges and FGM and forced marriage units. She will know that last week the Home Secretary announced 41 areas across England and Wales that will share around £17 million from the VAWG service transformation fund. Those projects will include work with victims and survivors, targeted support to victims with complex needs, early intervention with young people and work with perpetrators to change their behaviour.

High Speed Rail (London-West Midlands) Bill

Baroness Pidding Excerpts

Thursday 14th April 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Pidding (Con)]

My Lords, I start by declaring an interest in that my home is very close to the proposed route of HS2, albeit at a point that is firmly in a tunnel. I am sure that few will disagree that investing wisely in modern infrastructure is essential to the long-term prosperity of the United Kingdom. By investing wisely, this Government have the opportunity to lay the foundations of tomorrow’s economy and leave a legacy just as important as that of the great Victorian builders. By better connecting the mills, mines, ports and factories of Britain, the Victorians managed to spread wealth to new parts of the country and turn cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow into some of the greatest and wealthiest in the world, much as the northern powerhouse seeks to do today. But while we may admire the scale of their achievements, we must never forget that the Victorian lust for industry ignored the environment, throwing up slag heaps and smoke which have taken generations to clean up. It is much cheaper and easier in the long run to make sure that new projects are environmentally friendly when they are built than to try to patch up the mess afterwards. Like my noble friend Lord Framlingham, I am therefore deeply concerned by the way that HS2 Ltd has handled such matters.

The new railway enjoys strong support in the other place, and offers great opportunities, yet many Members have understandably complained about its impact on their constituents and constituencies. As we have already heard from the noble Lord, Lord Stevenson, in our home patch of Chesham and Amersham, HS2 proposes to run 8.8 kilometres of the new line above ground through the Chiltern area of outstanding natural beauty, which has been a designated landscape for more than 50 years. My local MP, the right honourable Cheryl Gillan, has fought vociferously to prevent what she calls a “permanent scar” on the landscape. She is right to point out that few countries are as expert in tunnelling projects as Britain is, and that we are already building a major new subterranean railway in London. Why can we not use the same techniques to preserve our countryside?

I hope that noble Lords will join me in supporting all those MPs who are trying to protect ancient woodlands, pasturelands, and other irreplaceable natural treasures. Once lost, there will be no bringing them back. The legislation underpinning HS2 should provide for the strongest possible environmental mitigation. We must also make sure that we do not neglect the human cost of new development, and ensure that all affected are treated promptly and fairly. Many MPs whose constituencies lie on the route claim that compensation issues are causing much worry and stress to their constituents. There are serious concerns about the valuation process, and many residents are apparently receiving “unacceptably low” offers for their property. These problems cut across party lines, and opposition MPs have spoken about the impact on urban businesses, and of the decades of disruption which threaten if the redevelopment of Euston station is not handled with care.

Advocates of HS2 are right to point out the potential of the new line to unlock economic growth and spread prosperity. However, it is no good if this is accomplished only at great and unfair cost to many thousands of residents and businesses unfortunate enough to be in its way. If HS2 is to be the long-term success that we all want it to be, the Government must ensure that they do not store up problems for later to cut costs today. Fair treatment for those affected by construction, and environmental mitigation that matches the Prime Minister’s commitment to run the “greenest Government ever”, must be set into law and properly enforced. I hope that this Chamber will make further positive changes to this Bill, building on the changes made in the other place. It would be far better to solve these problems today than to be cleaning them up for years to come.