Refugee Movements: Lebanon

Lord German Excerpts

Thursday 19th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Lemos (Lab)]

I recognise the picture the noble Baroness paints. I am very happy to find out more, and to take that back to the Foreign Office to see if we can learn more about the specific questions she raises about the refugee camps. As far as the humanitarian situation in Lebanon is concerned, the crossings are still open and commercial flights are still running—at least, they were when I last heard. I am very happy to come back on the specific point about the Palestinian refugee camps.

[Lord German (LD)]

My Lords—

[Lord Anderson of Swansea (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

We will hear from the Lib Dem Benches next, and then the Labour Benches.

[Lord German (LD)]

My Lords, I draw attention to my interests; I am supported by the RAMP organisation. Based on yesterday’s figures, one million people are displaced in a country that already takes more displaced people than any other country in the world. We are talking about a massive humanitarian problem. The United Nations refugee agency has drawn attention to the fact that it needs an extra $61 million in funding before the beginning of June. Can the noble Lord tell us whether the £7.5 million that is to be provided is part of that United Nations’ massive appeal to assist? More than that, this situation is a feeding ground for people smugglers. What actions are the UK Government taking on the ground to deter those who may be enticed to make these disgraceful and dangerous journeys to the United Kingdom? That is an issue we will face, as a country, if we are not willing action now.

[Lord Lemos (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord. Existing bilateral programming continues to bolster preparedness and national response capacity. This includes a £1 million top-up in January to pre-position emergency supplies via the British Red Cross and the Lebanese Red Cross, as well as smaller reallocations by the UNFPA, IOM, UNICEF and others, to meet urgent needs. We will, of course, keep under consideration any requests for further help. We are very mindful of the situation in Lebanon. It is an enormous displacement: hundreds of thousands of people are homeless and are sleeping in temporary shelters on the seafront in Beirut. We will certainly take that forward. With regard to people smuggling, this is a fast-evolving situation, as I am sure the noble Lord knows. We will continue to monitor that, but we are very mindful of those dangers.