Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is in discussion with Greek authorities on additional resettlement places from Greece for (a) unaccompanied minors and (b) migrant children in families.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The UK is at the forefront in protecting children affected by the migration crisis. We remain absolutely committed to transferring the specified number of 480 unaccompanied children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 (Dubs Amendment) as soon as possible. We have been making further progress with participating States, Greece, France, and Italy, to transfer more eligible children to move closer to the commitment to transfer 480 children.
In keeping with our commitments to ensure that the vulnerable children we have transferred from Greece, France and Italy to the UK under section 67 will have everything they need to be able to start a new life in the UK, we introduced a new form of leave, section 67 leave, in July 2018. Individuals who receive section 67 leave will have the right to study, work, access public funds and healthcare and apply for indefinite leave to remain.
Section 67 is one of a number of schemes that offer a safe and legal route to the UK for the most vulnerable refugees. In total, the UK provided protection to over 7,000 children in the year ending June 2019, and 39,500 since the start of 2010, and in every year since 2016, the UK resettled more refugees from out-side Europe than any other EU member state. In the year ending June 2019 the UK received 3,496 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. In 2018, the UK received 15% of all asylum claims from unaccompanied children in the EU, representing the third highest intake country.
Until the UK leaves the EU, we remain fully committed to the timely and efficient operation of the Dublin III Regulation including the provisions determining responsibility for examining the claims of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Officials continue to work closely with Member States, including partners in Greece, to ensure the safe transfer of children under this Regulation.
Under Section 17 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act, we are committed to seek to negotiate an agreement with the EU allowing for the family reunion of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, where it is in their best interests, once we leave the EU. We are ready to engage with the EU and with Member States on this matter and will endeavour to negotiate such an agreement as soon as possible.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the UK plans to undertake medical evacuations of critically ill children in Greece whose access to adequate and timely healthcare services in that country is obstructed by their migrant status.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to facilitate the resettlement of (a) vulnerable children and (b) unaccompanied minors from Greek islands.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The UK is at the forefront in protecting children affected by the migration crisis. We remain absolutely committed to transferring the specified number of 480 unaccompanied children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 (Dubs Amendment) as soon as possible. We have been making further progress with participating States, Greece, France, and Italy, to transfer more eligible children to move closer to the commitment to transfer 480 children.
In keeping with our commitments to ensure that the vulnerable children we have transferred from Greece, France and Italy to the UK under section 67 will have everything they need to be able to start a new life in the UK, we introduced a new form of leave, section 67 leave, in July 2018. Individuals who receive section 67 leave will have the right to study, work, access public funds and healthcare and apply for indefinite leave to remain.
Section 67 is one of a number of schemes that offer a safe and legal route to the UK for the most vulnerable refugees. In total, the UK provided protection to over 7,000 children in the year ending June 2019, and 39,500 since the start of 2010, and in every year since 2016, the UK resettled more refugees from out-side Europe than any other EU member state. In the year ending June 2019 the UK received 3,496 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. In 2018, the UK received 15% of all asylum claims from unaccompanied children in the EU, representing the third highest intake country.
Until the UK leaves the EU, we remain fully committed to the timely and efficient operation of the Dublin III Regulation including the provisions determining responsibility for examining the claims of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Officials continue to work closely with Member States, including partners in Greece, to ensure the safe transfer of children under this Regulation.
Under Section 17 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act, we are committed to seek to negotiate an agreement with the EU allowing for the family reunion of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, where it is in their best interests, once we leave the EU. We are ready to engage with the EU and with Member States on this matter and will endeavour to negotiate such an agreement as soon as possible.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to respond to his Department's consultation entitled Bus Services Act 2017: accessible information, which closed on 16 September 2018; and what his Department's timetable is to bring forward legislative proposals to require bus operators to provide audible and visible information on local bus services.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Government understands the importance of accessible on-board information in helping bus passengers to travel with confidence, and in Summer 2018 published a public consultation on proposals to require its provision on local bus services throughout Great Britain.
We continue to analyse responses to the consultation and expect to announce our next steps regarding the making of Regulations and publication of guidance later in the year.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen mechanisms to hold perpetrators accountable for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK takes alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and human rights law extremely seriously. Whenever the UK receives reports of alleged violations of IHL, we routinely seek information from all credible sources, including from non-governmental and international organisations. In terms of human rights, Lord Ahmad made clear in his statement of 22 October that the overall human rights situation in Yemen remains deeply worrying, but that a political settlement to the conflict will create the conditions for the legitimate Government of Yemen to promote and protect the human rights of all Yemenis.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) help ensure that all parties to the conflict in north east Syria uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect (i) civilians and (ii) civilian infrastructure and (b) facilitate consistent and unimpeded humanitarian access to that area.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We have been clear that we expect all parties to respect their obligations to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure under international humanitarian law. The Prime Minister made this clear to President Erdogan on 20 October, and the Foreign Secretary conveyed this message to his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, on 10 October.
The UK has also consistently advocated for sustained humanitarian access in all areas of Syria, including the north east. We are committed to the renewal of Resolution 2249, which allows much needed aid to be delivered cross-border into Syria, and will soon begin discussions with likeminded countries in the UNSC on this subject. We also joined EU partners in a statement urging all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and unhindered, safe and sustainable humanitarian access throughout Syria. We are in close contact with the authorities in Turkey and in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on the situation in north-east Syria including on the need for humanitarian access.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that all parties to the conflict in Yemen comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2451.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK is deeply concerned by the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen. We fully support the peace process led by the UN Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths, and urge the parties to engage constructively with this process. On 26 September, the UK co-hosted a political event at the UN General Assembly to coordinate the international community’s support for the UN-led peace process and endorse the Special Envoy’s plan to begin wider political discussion. On 17 October, the UK Permanent Representative to the UN made a statement to the Security Council regarding the situation in Yemen, where she welcomed the reduction in violations of the Stockholm Agreement and called on all parties to immediately comply with Security Council Resolution 2451.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of discrimination against members of the Baha’i faith by Houthi authorities in Yemen; and what representations he has made to the (a) Houthi authorities and the government of Iran on the persecution of the Baha’i.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK strongly condemns the mistreatment of Baha’is who are being persecuted for their religious beliefs in areas under the control of the Houthis. We are working closely with our partners to raise these concerns directly with the Houthi authorities and urge the release of detained individuals. We continue to follow the treatment of the Baha’is in Yemen closely, including through meeting their representatives in the UK and lobbying the relevant authorities. We continue to call on the parties to the conflict for the human rights of all Yemenis to be respected.
At the UN General Assembly in September, we brought the international community together at a UK-hosted event to shine a spotlight on Iran's human rights abuses. We will also be using Iran’s forthcoming Universal Periodic Review in November, to raise concerns about the ongoing discrimination and targeting of religious minority groups, including the Baha’i community.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will submit a request to the UN Security General to expand the scope of the UN Board of Inquiry for Syria beyond north west Syria.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Having repeatedly called for scrutiny into the multiple attacks on UN-supported or deconflicted civilian infrastructure in north west Syria, we have welcomed the establishment of the UN Board of Inquiry. Since the same issue does not apply elsewhere in the country, we will not be calling for the UN Secretary General to expand the scope of the Board of Inquiry beyond north west Syria. The UN’s International Commission of Inquiry on Syria continues to have the mandate to investigate violations of international human rights law throughout the country.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he made to (a) parties to the conflict in north east Syria and (b) countries that have borders with Syria on keeping cross-border points (i) open and (ii) accessible to humanitarian aid (A) workers and (B) supplies.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We joined EU partners in a statement urging all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and unhindered, safe and sustainable humanitarian access throughout Syria including for humanitarian aid workers and supplies. We have also repeatedly called on all parties to uphold their obligations under International Humanitarian Law. We are in close contact with the authorities in Turkey and in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on the situation in north-east Syria including on the need for humanitarian access. We continue to monitor the situation closely.