Refugees and Migrants (Search and Rescue Operation) Debate
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Frank Roy
Main Page: Frank Roy (Labour - Motherwell and Wishaw)Department Debates - View all Frank Roy's debates with the Home Office
Refugees and Migrants (Search and Rescue Operation)
Frank Roy Excerpts(9 years, 6 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
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James Brokenshire
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for highlighting his direct personal experience and the need for care to be taken in the tone we use. I am sorry that some have sought to characterise this issue in the way they have. He is also right to underline the shambles that this Government inherited and the steps we have taken to deal with the problems. The situation is improving and we are dealing with the backlogs—something that was simply ignored by the last Government, who were incapable of dealing with them.
Mr Frank Roy (Motherwell and Wishaw) (Lab)
This is indeed a shameful decision. How many lives does the Minister estimate will be saved as a result of abandoning search and rescue missions?
James Brokenshire
The reality, as I have already indicated, is that more lives have been lost to date this year than were lost in 2013. Our focus is on ensuring that this is about reducing the tragic human cost we see in the Mediterranean sea. If we can telegraph that clear message to the traffickers in north Africa who are exploiting very vulnerable people, I absolutely believe that is the right thing to do to save lives.