Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of inter-faith engagement and cooperation to the Levelling Up agenda; and what plans they have, if any, to provide funding support towards the work of the Inter Faith Network, including for Inter Faith Week during 2023–24.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The department continues to take steps to support inter-faith community cohesion. For example, this government is supporting Dame Sara Khan's independent review of Social Cohesion and Resilience which is due to report in the Autumn, and I am considering additional options to take forward.
This department has provided funding to the Inter Faith Network since 2006/07. The Government considers a wide range of factors when deciding which projects to fund.
The department monitors all funded organisations throughout the lifecycle of their project for the purposes of assessing delivery against workplan targets, compliance and evaluation, in line with best practice for the management of public funding.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial assistance and logistical support they are providing and intend to provide to countries that have accepted Sudanese refugees, such as Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
On 4 May the UK announced an initial £5 million allocation which will help to provide urgent assistance to tens of thousands of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad fleeing violence in Sudan. We will share details about implementing agencies in due course. Via the UK's diplomatic presence across Africa, we are working to assess the needs of those displaced by the violence in Sudan and who have sought safety in neighbouring countries. The UK is a committed donor in Sudan, having spent over £250 million in humanitarian aid in the last five years.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they are making to welcome those Sudanese refugees fleeing violence who want to come to the UK.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
There are no plans to create a country specific scheme for refugees fleeing Sudan.
The UK continues to welcome refugees through existing resettlement schemes which are global in scope, including the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme and the Family Reunion Scheme.
Under these schemes, the UNHCR will refer refugees for resettlement after undertaking an assessment of people’s needs and vulnerabilities. The UK does not seek to influence which cases are referred by the UNHCR under these schemes.
The UK has provided sanctuary to almost 500,000 individuals since 2015. However, our resources are futile and we cannot provide resettlement to everyone.