Rob Lawrie

Lord Thomas of Gresford Excerpts

Tuesday 17th November 2015 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Courtown]

My Lords, I will pass on that question to the Minister whose responsibility that is, if the noble Lord finds that acceptable.

[Lord Thomas of Gresford (LD)]

My Lords, is the Minister aware that at the moment an exhibition in Prague runs the length of Wenceslas Square about the children who were brought to this country in 1938 by Sir Nicholas Winton in that magnificent humanitarian gesture of his? No other country would take those children. Is it not time that this Government adopted a similar principle towards the children who are clamouring for help in Europe at the moment?

[The Earl of Courtown]

The noble Lord reminds the House of the great work that was done at that period. The whole point is to try to stop these children making the journey in the first place. This is what we are working at through the departmental work and, particularly, with what has been happening in Valletta recently, where we have been concentrating on the Valletta action plan, which is to get people work and sustainable lives in their own countries.