Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what UK funding has been provided to local communities in France to mitigate the economic impact of illegal crossings of the English Channel.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The UK and France maintain a longstanding relationship on tackling illegal migration.
Since signing the Sandhurst Treaty in 2018 with France the UK has provided almost €500 million in funding to support our joint work to tackle small boats crossings.
UK funding supports French authorities to mitigate the impact of illegal crossings on local communities in northern France, for example by providing port security infrastructure and funding additional law enforcement personnel to manage the presence of migrants attempting to cross the Channel by small boat in the local area.
UK-France cooperation to tackle small boats has resulted in over 25,000 small boats crossings prevented so far this year, with overall small boats arrivals down by over a third compared to 2022.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government through which assessment mechanism or framework they have deemed Rwanda a safe country.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We had previously undertaken an analysis of the country situation, drawing on a wide range of publicly available evidence from a variety of reliable sources about Rwanda’s asylum system and human rights situation. Evidence was also obtained from the FCDO and from visits undertaken by the team responsible for Country Policy and Information Notes (CPIN). Information gathering was done in accordance with internationally established country-of-origin information research methods.
This was supplemented with updated evidence since summer 2022, including in respect of the strengthening of Rwanda’s systems and the new treaty signed on 5 December. The treaty between the UK and Rwanda, alongside the evidence of changes in Rwanda, will enable Parliament to conclude that Rwanda is safe. The new Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill will provide Parliament with the opportunity to do so. Further information can be found in our published policy statement: Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: policy statement.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the costs incurred to date of the asylum transfer scheme with Rwanda.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The UK has provided Rwanda with an initial investment of £120m into its economic development and growth as part of the Economic Transformation and Integration Fund (ETIF). Investment has been focused in areas such as education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, and job creation. A separate payment of £20m in advance of flights was also paid last year to support initial set up costs for the relocation of individuals. Beyond this, spend will be reported as part of the annual Home Office Reports and Accounts in the usual way.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers are currently housed on the Bibby Stockholm; and for how long they intend for asylum seekers to be housed there.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The capacity of the Bibby Stockholm is around 500 people. The number of asylum seekers onboard the vessel at any one time is likely to vary due to a number of factors.
Numbers will increase in a phased approach as part of a carefully structured plan. We are conscious of the need to manage arrivals in a way that local services can support.
We are assessing how long asylum seekers will be accommodated. The maximum expected length of stay on the vessel is likely to be up to 9 months. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with governments of countries other than Rwanda about the transfer of asylum seekers.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We are unable to comment on discussions or negotiations that may be being held with other countries.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which Ministers, MPs, special advisers and other officials accompanied the Secretary of State for the Home Department on her visit to Washington for her speech to the American Enterprise Institute on 26 September.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Secretary was accompanied by two Special Advisers, one Private Secretary, three policy officials and two members of the comms team.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Ministers may make personal statements that do not reflect Government policy.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of conduct expected of ministers and how they discharge their duty. Notably:
Section 8.3: Ministers should ensure that their statements are consistent with collective Government policy;
Section 6.5: Ministers are free to make their views about constituency matters known to the responsible Minister by correspondence, leading deputations or by personal interview provided they make clear that they are acting as their constituents’ representative and not as a Minister.
The Ministerial Code can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-code
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the speech to the American Enterprise Institute by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 26 September was approved by the Prime Minister, and whether it reflected (1) Government policy, and (2) any changes to their policy, on (a) migration, and (b) multiculturalism.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The speech was cleared by No.10 and other government departments in the usual way.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have paid for the Bibby Stockholm barge since it has been empty.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential. Therefore, the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at:
Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023 (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for the future of the Bibby Stockholm barge.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Further tests have been conducted in recent weeks. Once those are complete and it is safe to do so, we will move people back onto the Bibby Stockholm.