Lord Paddick
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Rwanda Asylum Partnership
Lord Paddick Excerpts(2 years, 1 month ago)
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Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con)
As I answered to the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, I will absolutely take that back to the Home Office and see what can be done.
Lord Paddick (LD)
My Lords, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in a written submission to the High Court this year—not a previous year—said:
“There should be no transfers of asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda under the UK-Rwanda Arrangement.”
It said there was “a serious risk” of human rights abuses and a serial disregard for international law in Rwanda. The UNHCR has clearly changed its mind. Why will the Government not change theirs?
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con)
My Lords, I have already stated that we are of the firm opinion that Rwanda complies with international law. I go back to my earlier answer: under the scheme I described earlier, the emergency transit mechanism under the aegis of the UNHCR, Rwanda has welcomed and integrated more than 500 individuals who were evacuated from Libya. Personally, I am at a bit of a loss to understand why the UNHCR seems to take this line with us when it is doing it itself.