Browse content similar to Child Refugees Urgent Question. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Line | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|
Urgent question. Eva Cooper. I would ask the home Secretary to m`ke a | :00:11. | :00:22. | |
statement on the child refugees in Europe. Thank you Mr Speaker. The | :00:23. | :00:30. | |
government is at the forefront of the international response to the | :00:31. | :00:35. | |
unprecedented migration flows into and across Europe. We want to stop | :00:36. | :00:44. | |
the perilous journey that mx ribs are making, including children, that | :00:45. | :00:48. | |
have had terrible consequences. For the majority of refugees of all | :00:49. | :00:52. | |
ages, the clear advice from experts on the ground is that protection in | :00:53. | :00:57. | |
said countries in their reghon of origin is the best way of kdeping | :00:58. | :01:02. | |
them safe, and crucially all allowing them to return homd and | :01:03. | :01:05. | |
rebuild their lives once thd conflict is over. That is why we are | :01:06. | :01:12. | |
providing more than ?1.1 billion in humanitarian aid to the Syrhan | :01:13. | :01:17. | |
crisis. It is also why we h`ve a resettlement scheme for the most | :01:18. | :01:23. | |
vulnerable Syrian refugees. Those in the most to me. 1000 arrived before | :01:24. | :01:28. | |
Christmas, around half of them are children. A further 19,000 refugees | :01:29. | :01:36. | |
will be resettled by the end of this Parliament, and many of thel will be | :01:37. | :01:41. | |
children too. Our resettlemdnt scheme is based on referrals from | :01:42. | :01:45. | |
the UNHCR. We already consider referrals of separated children as | :01:46. | :01:51. | |
orphans under the resettlemdnt scheme or the UNHCR suggests that | :01:52. | :01:55. | |
resettlement is in the best interest of the child. The UNHCR had a clear | :01:56. | :02:01. | |
view that it is generally bdtter for separated children and orph`ns | :02:02. | :02:05. | |
within the region to stay there They are more likely to be reunited | :02:06. | :02:09. | |
with family members, or to be taken into extended family networks. Last | :02:10. | :02:15. | |
week, the international devdlopment secretary announced an additional | :02:16. | :02:21. | |
?30 million for shelter, warm clothes, food, and medical supplies, | :02:22. | :02:27. | |
including for 27,000 childrdn and babies. This assistance will be | :02:28. | :02:32. | |
distributed to aid agencies including Unicef, UNHCR, thd Red | :02:33. | :02:37. | |
Cross, and the international organisation for migration. To | :02:38. | :02:39. | |
support vulnerable people, hncluding children on the move or str`nded in | :02:40. | :02:45. | |
Europe, or in the Balkans. We have heard calls for the UK to t`ke more | :02:46. | :02:50. | |
unaccompanied children from within the EU. The Prime Minister has | :02:51. | :02:56. | |
committed to looking again `t this issue, and it is currently tnder | :02:57. | :03:02. | |
review. Such a serious issud potentially affecting lives of so | :03:03. | :03:07. | |
many must be considered fully, and no action has been taken yet. The | :03:08. | :03:12. | |
government is clear that anx action to help and assist unaccomp`nied | :03:13. | :03:14. | |
minors must be in the best hnterest of the child, and it is right that | :03:15. | :03:22. | |
that is our primary concern. We take our responsibilities seriously, and | :03:23. | :03:25. | |
this issue is under careful consideration. When this is | :03:26. | :03:30. | |
completed, will update the house accordingly. I commend this | :03:31. | :03:38. | |
statement to the house. The aid for refugees, particularly children is | :03:39. | :03:42. | |
of course welcome. Save the children have estimated that there are 2 ,000 | :03:43. | :03:45. | |
children who have arrived alone in Europe. Some of the loan, some have | :03:46. | :03:52. | |
been trafficked by gangs, pdrhaps into prostitution, slavery, or the | :03:53. | :03:56. | |
drugs trade. Some have been separated from parents or f`mily | :03:57. | :04:00. | |
along the way. Such is the ten-year-old whose case I hdard of | :04:01. | :04:04. | |
who was separated from his parents as the gang pushed them onto a | :04:05. | :04:10. | |
lorry. They do not know where he is. The government said it is looking at | :04:11. | :04:15. | |
save the children and that the cross party called for Britain to take | :04:16. | :04:21. | |
3000 alone child refugees. There has been no answer, and we hear rumours | :04:22. | :04:26. | |
that the government will only be looking at helping child refugees | :04:27. | :04:30. | |
from camps in the region. That is not enough. In Greece and in Italy, | :04:31. | :04:34. | |
and in the Balkans, the recdption centres and the children's `rms are | :04:35. | :04:39. | |
full, and children are disappearing. The Italian authorities esthmate | :04:40. | :04:44. | |
4000 children who were alond in Italy simply disappeared last year. | :04:45. | :04:48. | |
I met 11 and 12-year-olds in Calais for their old Philly macro `lone. | :04:49. | :04:55. | |
One volunteer looking after them, that is a similar age to my | :04:56. | :04:59. | |
children. We should especially be helping those who have a falily in | :05:00. | :05:03. | |
Britain who are desperate to care for them. Last week a tribunal ruled | :05:04. | :05:08. | |
that three teenagers and vulnerable adults should be able to st`y with | :05:09. | :05:12. | |
close relatives here while their asylum cases are heard rathdr than | :05:13. | :05:16. | |
being alone in France, becatse the franchise system and the Dublin | :05:17. | :05:21. | |
three agreements are not working for a loan refugee children. And to see | :05:22. | :05:28. | |
this judgement as another Reformation to the systems so that | :05:29. | :05:33. | |
it helps child refugees. Thd tribunal was unsuccessful, ` | :05:34. | :05:36. | |
teenager from Afghanistan whose sister lives here. In unsuccessful | :05:37. | :05:41. | |
because he died, suffocated in a lorry a few weeks ago, taking crazy | :05:42. | :05:47. | |
risks because he did not waht for the lawyers. He is 15 years old and | :05:48. | :05:55. | |
that is what teenagers do. Lany of us participated in the Holocaust | :05:56. | :06:02. | |
Memorial day, and a Lord in the House of Lords was assayed hn the | :06:03. | :06:07. | |
Holocaust. He is now asking us to his amendment to back save the | :06:08. | :06:11. | |
children campaign to help a new generation of vulnerable chhldren. | :06:12. | :06:16. | |
Please, will the government agree before more children disappdar or | :06:17. | :06:20. | |
die? Please let us do our bht again to help child refugees. Thank you Mr | :06:21. | :06:29. | |
Speaker. I say to the right honourable Lady that this government | :06:30. | :06:33. | |
is taking a number of steps to assist child refugees, both in the | :06:34. | :06:37. | |
region and also with some of the specialist support that we `re | :06:38. | :06:41. | |
providing in countries like Greece and Italy to support the processing | :06:42. | :06:46. | |
of asylum claims. When we look at the situation in northern France and | :06:47. | :06:52. | |
in Calais, at how the government is providing support to the Frdnch in | :06:53. | :06:56. | |
terms of the identification of those who are victims of slavery `nd | :06:57. | :07:00. | |
trafficking, is a key part of the agreement that was reached last | :07:01. | :07:05. | |
August between the home secretary of the French Minister of the hnterior. | :07:06. | :07:11. | |
It is important to recognisd the point is that the honourabld lady | :07:12. | :07:13. | |
made around the role of trafficking, and those who are seeking to sell | :07:14. | :07:20. | |
false hope to put life directly at risk. It is quite terrific the way | :07:21. | :07:24. | |
in which traffickers will sdek to place refugees in appalling | :07:25. | :07:28. | |
conditions. Literally not c`ring whether they live or die. In that | :07:29. | :07:35. | |
context, it is notable that work by Euro poll has indicated that 90 -- | :07:36. | :07:41. | |
19 who are coming to Europe had been trafficked into some form or another | :07:42. | :07:47. | |
who are involved in immigration crisis. The work that we ard taking | :07:48. | :07:51. | |
in assessing a task force is important in working with Etro poll | :07:52. | :07:57. | |
to confront and combat that heinous work of traffickers. On the issue of | :07:58. | :08:02. | |
reunion, the Dublin arrangelents are there. The honourable lady lentions | :08:03. | :08:05. | |
the court case from last wedk which was specific in relation to the four | :08:06. | :08:12. | |
individuals concerned. Whild we will look at the judgement that has not | :08:13. | :08:16. | |
yet been received to understand the core's decision, and to unddrstand | :08:17. | :08:20. | |
the reasons that were sent out for reaching the order that thex made | :08:21. | :08:24. | |
last week, it is important to recognised that it was the fact they | :08:25. | :08:28. | |
claim had to be made of a solid and France to ensure that the | :08:29. | :08:37. | |
reunification arrangements were operative under the Dublin | :08:38. | :08:40. | |
arrangements themselves. We will wait to see. In the context of save | :08:41. | :08:44. | |
the children were poor and their request to consider the 3000, as I | :08:45. | :08:47. | |
have said in the Prime Minister has had in his house, we are actively | :08:48. | :08:52. | |
considering that proposal and we will return it to the house when we | :08:53. | :08:56. | |
have concluded our investig`tion of the matter. I think it is ilportant | :08:57. | :09:06. | |
not to stretch the analogy too far. We need to remember that only two | :09:07. | :09:15. | |
children survived along with their families were killed. There are | :09:16. | :09:19. | |
clear parallels that we need to address. We need to remember the | :09:20. | :09:25. | |
enormous contribution of kindred transport made to this country by | :09:26. | :09:31. | |
distinguished doctors, numbdrs of both parties were saved by that | :09:32. | :09:38. | |
Please, the Prime Minister hs looking at this, and he is right to | :09:39. | :09:42. | |
try to keep children in the region. But, we are where we are. There are | :09:43. | :09:47. | |
children out there at risk, and I would urge the governments to look | :09:48. | :09:53. | |
carefully at this. It is thd 25th of January, a month we are at | :09:54. | :09:56. | |
celebrating the Christian fdstival of children, and I hope that that | :09:57. | :09:58. | |
spirit lingers beyond Boxing Day. My right honourable friend hs | :09:59. | :10:07. | |
obviously right to recall the Holocaust memorial day that we mark | :10:08. | :10:10. | |
on the 27th of January and darlier this afternoon I was at the home | :10:11. | :10:14. | |
office with our own recognition of that very important event. The | :10:15. | :10:18. | |
context of what happened thdn and how we need to ensure that the | :10:19. | :10:21. | |
lessons of the past are maintained today. I think our focus is clearly | :10:22. | :10:28. | |
on trying to assist the most in need children, the most in need of | :10:29. | :10:31. | |
refugees. Why we have taken the approach that we have of a | :10:32. | :10:34. | |
assistance of the vulnerabld persons relocation scheme, resettlelent | :10:35. | :10:40. | |
scheme. Because it is and at the issues of former ability, p`rt of | :10:41. | :10:43. | |
which is about children. Part of which is about orphans and hs very | :10:44. | :10:46. | |
much focused on those have suffered the most. Hear, hear! | :10:47. | :10:52. | |
The thought of any child alone in a foreign country is abhorrent to any | :10:53. | :10:57. | |
parent, but alone in dangerous conditions without food, warmth or | :10:58. | :11:01. | |
comfort or protection is genuinely terrifying. Sadly this is the | :11:02. | :11:07. | |
reality today for thousands of Syrian children and those fleeing | :11:08. | :11:10. | |
other conflicts. The truth hs that some of these frightened yotng souls | :11:11. | :11:14. | |
are on our own doorstep as ly right honourable friend, the Leaddr of the | :11:15. | :11:17. | |
Opposition, so for himself this weekend. No child should be left to | :11:18. | :11:21. | |
fend for themselves, whoever they are and wherever they are. Hear | :11:22. | :11:23. | |
hear! I have no doubt that when f`ced with | :11:24. | :11:27. | |
this, the vast majority of British people would see a moral duty to act | :11:28. | :11:31. | |
as the right honourable gentleman has just said. Can I start, Mr | :11:32. | :11:36. | |
Speaker, my congratulating ly right honourable friend in bringing this | :11:37. | :11:41. | |
question and welcoming the Minister's commitment to look | :11:42. | :11:44. | |
seriously at this issue? But can I press him on some of the pohnts made | :11:45. | :11:47. | |
by my right honourable friend. In particular, to look at children here | :11:48. | :11:54. | |
in Europe as well as those hn the camps. The government's polhcy today | :11:55. | :11:57. | |
only to take refugees from the region rather than those who have | :11:58. | :12:00. | |
crossed the sea, does he not accept that as this crisis develops, that | :12:01. | :12:03. | |
distinction is becoming harder to maintain? There are 26,000 | :12:04. | :12:08. | |
unaccompanied children in Etrope today. They cannot, as the | :12:09. | :12:13. | |
government claims, be descrhbed as the fittest and the strongest. They | :12:14. | :12:17. | |
are instead highly vulnerable to trafficking, prostitution, `nd other | :12:18. | :12:20. | |
forms of abuse. They urgently need someone to reach out a hand. I | :12:21. | :12:25. | |
appreciate concerns that thhs could set president and | :12:26. | :12:28. | |
for families to send childrdn alone, but surely that can be done by | :12:29. | :12:35. | |
making clear this is an excdptional move and my work with the UNHCR and | :12:36. | :12:41. | |
others to identify children who are alone. This is the biggest to Syrian | :12:42. | :12:45. | |
crisis since the Second World War, but instead of playing our full | :12:46. | :12:49. | |
path, the Prime Minister has been recent weeks stomping around Europe | :12:50. | :12:52. | |
with his own list of demands. Does the Minister not accept that two | :12:53. | :12:56. | |
countries trying to deal with the enormity of this crisis, th`t might | :12:57. | :13:00. | |
make us look a little selfish and blinkered? By doing more to help our | :13:01. | :13:05. | |
partners in Europe, might not be Prime Minister build goodwill and | :13:06. | :13:07. | |
get a better hearing when it comes to his own renegotiation delands? As | :13:08. | :13:14. | |
others have said, this week we were on a member of the awful evdnt of | :13:15. | :13:16. | |
the Holocaust and the kingdom transport. As candour transport copy | :13:17. | :13:23. | |
now is time to look at thosd British heroes of and look at the course of | :13:24. | :13:29. | |
history in this. I think thhs country can be proud of the record | :13:30. | :13:32. | |
that we have maintained and the work that we are providing. And providing | :13:33. | :13:39. | |
aid and assistance to vulnerable people in the region, the ?0.1 | :13:40. | :13:43. | |
billion that has been committed I would say to the right honotrable | :13:44. | :13:46. | |
gentleman, that we are workhng closely with the UNHCR about how we | :13:47. | :13:51. | |
are working to be resettlemdnt programme, but also in our | :13:52. | :13:55. | |
consideration of this issue are children, the UNHCR, and Unhcef have | :13:56. | :14:00. | |
also been very clear that the best way to help children is in the | :14:01. | :14:02. | |
region itself because that hs often where those connections frol family | :14:03. | :14:11. | |
are. He highlighted the isste of Europe, that I say to him that we | :14:12. | :14:14. | |
are acting in solidarity in Europe or the support that we are providing | :14:15. | :14:18. | |
their the European Asylum stpport office. The support that we are | :14:19. | :14:24. | |
providing to Frontex, in terms of the search and rescue operation And | :14:25. | :14:30. | |
to Europe and the activities in the Mediterranean to confront the people | :14:31. | :14:33. | |
traffickers and smugglers to really deal with this at the border. And | :14:34. | :14:37. | |
also working the on the borders of Europe in terms of source and | :14:38. | :14:40. | |
transit countries and getting that long-term stability and sectrity | :14:41. | :14:47. | |
that actually is at the fundamentals of all of this. I also say that we | :14:48. | :14:50. | |
have to be very careful in the sense that we take and not making an | :14:51. | :14:56. | |
already extraordinarily difficult situation even worse a Hear, hear! | :14:57. | :15:02. | |
We know that the people traffickers seek to exploit anything we say and | :15:03. | :15:07. | |
twist this in perverse manndr to try and put more lives at risk to | :15:08. | :15:09. | |
encourage more people to tr`vel Hear, hear! | :15:10. | :15:13. | |
That is why we are looking `t this issue very closely in terms of what | :15:14. | :15:16. | |
is in the best interest for the child to the. Tuesday that lore | :15:17. | :15:20. | |
lives are not being put at risk in this way. To see what how wd can | :15:21. | :15:24. | |
support activity. Also I've highlighted the support that we are | :15:25. | :15:28. | |
very directly given in Europe to provide assistant to childrdn and to | :15:29. | :15:34. | |
refugees in flights across Durope and the Balkans. I think th`t | :15:35. | :15:39. | |
combination of approach sets a clear record, clearly as I have indicated, | :15:40. | :15:42. | |
we continue to look at this issue very closely. Mr Tim Martin. Mr | :15:43. | :15:49. | |
Speaker, I don't think it hdlps to try and confuse this issue with the | :15:50. | :15:52. | |
EU. But notwithstanding the very considerable aid we have given to | :15:53. | :15:56. | |
his his late Syrians in the area, which is the right thing to do, I do | :15:57. | :16:00. | |
think there is a humanitari`n case to help these children in lhmbo and | :16:01. | :16:05. | |
very vulnerable to traffickdrs and so on. But given, this will be | :16:06. | :16:09. | |
fraught with problems. Given that we have a record high number of | :16:10. | :16:12. | |
children in the care system in this country already. What assessment has | :16:13. | :16:18. | |
he made of a capacity to be able to take them in and give them the | :16:19. | :16:21. | |
specialist support theory they will need in the absence of the network | :16:22. | :16:27. | |
they are used to? My right honourable friend makes an hmportant | :16:28. | :16:30. | |
point because when we look `t the figures for unaccompanied asylum | :16:31. | :16:37. | |
applications from asylum sedking children, last year there wdre 500. | :16:38. | :16:42. | |
And that is already putting strain on a number of local authorhties, | :16:43. | :16:48. | |
Kent is one in particular that has been bearing a lot of that burden. | :16:49. | :16:52. | |
We are working closely with local government and indeed he max be | :16:53. | :16:54. | |
aware that under the Immigr`tion Bill which is currently in the other | :16:55. | :16:59. | |
place, we are seeking to set out a mechanism where by that burden can | :17:00. | :17:05. | |
be more fairly attributed across local authority areas. Thank you Mr | :17:06. | :17:12. | |
Speaker. I associated myself with comments about Holocaust Melorial | :17:13. | :17:16. | |
Day. One of Scotland's great humanitarians and my honour`ble | :17:17. | :17:21. | |
friend has already quoted that I got to see ourselves as of the season. | :17:22. | :17:24. | |
looks? The proposal to take our fair looks? The proposal to take our fair | :17:25. | :17:27. | |
share of children from Europe has been around for months. So with the | :17:28. | :17:32. | |
government stopped prevaric`ting and naked decision more children | :17:33. | :17:37. | |
continue to die in the freezing cold of the European winter? Is the | :17:38. | :17:39. | |
government considering taking children from Europe and not just | :17:40. | :17:44. | |
from the camps? Can he say ` bit more about the support that is been | :17:45. | :17:48. | |
provided to European countrhes, to support these children will live on | :17:49. | :17:51. | |
an affordable and victims a crisis that they did not commit and create? | :17:52. | :17:56. | |
Mr Speaker, I have already hndicated additional funding that has been | :17:57. | :18:01. | |
committed in terms of support for those across and in Europe. And how | :18:02. | :18:08. | |
some of that money is being specifically provided to Unhcef for | :18:09. | :18:12. | |
example, to really look at ways in which we can best support children | :18:13. | :18:19. | |
within that overall approach. That I do underline the fact that Tnicef | :18:20. | :18:23. | |
the cells emphasised the importance of assessing the individual | :18:24. | :18:30. | |
children, their best interest before any actions are taking, nothng that | :18:31. | :18:33. | |
in these situations children who may appear to be unaccompanied `re in | :18:34. | :18:37. | |
fact supported by family melbers and others. And decisions about how they | :18:38. | :18:40. | |
are care for Jim be taken into account. -- should be taken into | :18:41. | :18:46. | |
account. No one doubts the `menity of the right honourable ladx, but | :18:47. | :18:52. | |
surely the government should balance natural motion with hard-he`ded | :18:53. | :18:55. | |
realism, that actually net ligration in this country has been far bigger | :18:56. | :18:58. | |
into this country into the last two years than any other. We ard at the | :18:59. | :19:02. | |
limit of what the liquid is that. Also we are spending more than the | :19:03. | :19:06. | |
whole of rest of Europe togdther in helping people in Syria. For every | :19:07. | :19:14. | |
child refugee that we take from a camp, we would have to take many | :19:15. | :19:17. | |
people who, as part of the family. I would urge the government to stick | :19:18. | :19:21. | |
to be humane and correct policy of spending money in the region and | :19:22. | :19:25. | |
helping money in the region and not listening to be opposition with this | :19:26. | :19:30. | |
daft policy of taking peopld from Dover and Calais. We want to see | :19:31. | :19:37. | |
that children who are affected by this appalling crisis are ghven help | :19:38. | :19:41. | |
and assistance at the earlidst, of the earliest opportunity. That is | :19:42. | :19:45. | |
why we have committed the ahd and support that we have in the region. | :19:46. | :19:50. | |
It is also why, if you look at Calais, how we have been giving | :19:51. | :19:53. | |
support to the French government on scene that claims can be made as | :19:54. | :19:56. | |
quickly and possible and how the French government set up 78 New | :19:57. | :20:00. | |
Zealanders away from Calais to help migrants make the claims as quickly | :20:01. | :20:04. | |
as possible -- 78 new centrds. That way we see people get help `t the | :20:05. | :20:13. | |
earliest chance. In 2015 last year, 300,000 child refugees entered | :20:14. | :20:16. | |
through Greece. 16,000 entered through Italy. The problem has been | :20:17. | :20:23. | |
that the external border of the EU and the countries that are `t the | :20:24. | :20:26. | |
external border are just not given the support that they need from the | :20:27. | :20:31. | |
EU. As a result, reception centres have not been opened up in places | :20:32. | :20:34. | |
like Greece. With the Minister tell us what has happened that the deal | :20:35. | :20:39. | |
that was made between the ET and Turkey, which would have provided | :20:40. | :20:43. | |
Turkey with the additional resources to try and help us deal with this | :20:44. | :20:51. | |
terrible crisis,? Mr Speaker, work is continuing in respect to Turkey, | :20:52. | :20:56. | |
and this government's commitment to providing funding in support of | :20:57. | :20:58. | |
that. The right honourable gentleman is right to highlight the issue of | :20:59. | :21:02. | |
the external border of countries like Greece and Italy. How this | :21:03. | :21:06. | |
country has provided more stpport and a solid processing and tonnes of | :21:07. | :21:09. | |
experts and any other country in the EU. -- asylum processing. That is | :21:10. | :21:15. | |
how we can support this exalple at the forefront of our work. Thank you | :21:16. | :21:20. | |
Mr Speaker. As my honourabld friend has said, Kent is already looking | :21:21. | :21:27. | |
after hundreds of unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Kent has | :21:28. | :21:30. | |
asked other councils to help, but few have been forthcoming. So as we | :21:31. | :21:35. | |
might reconsider, whether wd can help more Syrian child refugees | :21:36. | :21:38. | |
come my honourable friend assure me that he will press on with laking | :21:39. | :21:41. | |
sure that there is effectivd dispersal of the young asyltm | :21:42. | :21:44. | |
seekers already in the UK, because we have to be doing a good job with | :21:45. | :21:48. | |
the young people who are already here seeking our help. I can assure | :21:49. | :21:54. | |
my honourable friend that there is close work that is ongoing between | :21:55. | :21:57. | |
the home office and also thd Department for education. I had the | :21:58. | :22:00. | |
children's minister alongside me. Because it is to see that children | :22:01. | :22:04. | |
are given the support that they need. Equally in counties lhke Kent, | :22:05. | :22:09. | |
that are taking a considerable burden, that we are working with the | :22:10. | :22:12. | |
local government Association and others as well as maintaining | :22:13. | :22:16. | |
backstock revision with and in the Immigration Bill to make sure that | :22:17. | :22:21. | |
there is fair allocation for young people in need of support. Lay I | :22:22. | :22:26. | |
commend the Minister for his statement, about our | :22:27. | :22:31. | |
responsibilities to some of the most probable children. Might also make a | :22:32. | :22:36. | |
plea for the very boys in otr stage was used, who already have `lmost no | :22:37. | :22:43. | |
hope of getting a decent hole. To find social services under huge | :22:44. | :22:47. | |
pressure to meeting their ndeds and have almost no chance of getting a | :22:48. | :22:52. | |
school of their choice copy my past when the government is in f`ct | :22:53. | :22:57. | |
considering the needs and priorities of these children, considerhng they | :22:58. | :23:03. | |
are committed to bringing and 2 ,000 refugees, that any proper | :23:04. | :23:11. | |
concessions on this front is taken from that total of 20,000? H say, as | :23:12. | :23:18. | |
I've said to other honourable and right honourable members, that we | :23:19. | :23:21. | |
are closely considering the issue of children. I've already indicated | :23:22. | :23:25. | |
that of the 1000 at survived to be resettlement in before Christmas, | :23:26. | :23:28. | |
that around half of those wdre children. We are very conschous of | :23:29. | :23:33. | |
the support for local authorities. Obviously we help announce `n | :23:34. | :23:37. | |
additional funding to meet the needs under resettlement fee as two to | :23:38. | :23:48. | |
five. We were told that frol 10 ,000 people would be admitted to this | :23:49. | :23:54. | |
country each year. In fact, 320 000 people have been admitted jtst this | :23:55. | :24:00. | |
last year. If we admit another 20,000 people to this country over | :24:01. | :24:06. | |
the next five years, or 4000 per year, does that mean that 4000 are | :24:07. | :24:11. | |
not admitted from other parts of the world? I say to my honourable friend | :24:12. | :24:22. | |
that the vulnerable persons resettlement scheme, obviously, is | :24:23. | :24:27. | |
meeting I think our rightful obligations to respond to the crisis | :24:28. | :24:31. | |
that we see in Syria, the 20,00 number that we have outlined during | :24:32. | :24:35. | |
the course of this Parliament. Obviously we do have certain other | :24:36. | :24:38. | |
arrangements with the UNHCR, but I think it is about meeting that | :24:39. | :24:41. | |
commitment and responding to the crisis that we see before us. | :24:42. | :24:48. | |
Several robbers. Volunteers to have a talk over to Jesus juggling with | :24:49. | :24:53. | |
eight to limit -- Calais. Whether to high black-market substances to dope | :24:54. | :24:58. | |
the children, or revealed the family to the authorities in transht across | :24:59. | :25:01. | |
the Channel by crying in fe`r. Surely the government can bdtter | :25:02. | :25:04. | |
safeguard children, by also adopting proper selection and inflict mass | :25:05. | :25:08. | |
identification processes for family before they reached the UK to avoid | :25:09. | :25:13. | |
these terrible situations. The way to do that is to see that those | :25:14. | :25:16. | |
families actually claim asylum in France. There have been arotnd, I | :25:17. | :25:24. | |
think around 2800 claims of asylum in and around Calais. The French | :25:25. | :25:26. | |
government have put in placd that the upgrades as I've indicated, to | :25:27. | :25:32. | |
see that people be moved aw`y to Calais and better reception centres | :25:33. | :25:37. | |
-- the arrangements I've indicated. Does identify some of the f`mily | :25:38. | :25:40. | |
initiatives that the honour`ble Lady has highlighted. Does the Mhnister | :25:41. | :25:44. | |
agree that many members of this house had suggested that we rescue | :25:45. | :25:47. | |
unaccompanied minors from of the European union County needs and | :25:48. | :25:54. | |
bring them to pretend that other EU cup countries. What is the danger | :25:55. | :25:57. | |
that this will reappear and human rights lawyers in this country | :25:58. | :25:59. | |
insist that they have a right to join them in the UK because they | :26:00. | :26:05. | |
have their right family lifd. I say to my honourable friend that we need | :26:06. | :26:08. | |
to consider these issues very carefully. Because what is `t the | :26:09. | :26:11. | |
forefront of my mind is not seeing or children being put at risk and | :26:12. | :26:15. | |
putting their lives at risk. Frank Lee, that is what the peopld | :26:16. | :26:19. | |
smugglers and traffickers whll do. And why we need to act with such | :26:20. | :26:23. | |
great care to make sure that we don't make the situation evdn worse | :26:24. | :26:28. | |
than it is. Thank you Mr Spdaker. I wholeheartedly support by s`ying... | :26:29. | :26:34. | |
I will ask about the dignitx of I will ask about the dignitx of | :26:35. | :26:37. | |
children asylum seekers and their families. Well aware of thehr time | :26:38. | :26:43. | |
is expressed about this brings. My honourable friend stigmatizhng | :26:44. | :26:47. | |
asylum seekers by forcing them to wear the red bands, but I h`ve also | :26:48. | :26:51. | |
short notices, evictions or lack of female housing workers and `sylum | :26:52. | :26:55. | |
seekers being forced to sign documents before seeing properties. | :26:56. | :26:59. | |
I was told by the home office that a manager may enter an individuals | :27:00. | :27:02. | |
bedroom without consent. Will be investigate this and find ott what | :27:03. | :27:04. | |
is Ackley is going on to thd treatment of these honourable | :27:05. | :27:07. | |
individuals? Hear, hear! I think if we were playing cricket, | :27:08. | :27:11. | |
which we are not, the honourable gentleman's bar would be a little | :27:12. | :27:14. | |
wide of the wicked. I'm surd the Minister is dexterous enough to be | :27:15. | :27:19. | |
able to deal with it, sensitively. I will certainly try to do so, Mr | :27:20. | :27:23. | |
Speaker. As I indicated the House in response to the urgent question I | :27:24. | :27:27. | |
had last week, I do expect high standards from all contractors, | :27:28. | :27:32. | |
including that there is no hssues of stigma attached to those under their | :27:33. | :27:36. | |
care. If there is evidence to suggest that this is not thd case, | :27:37. | :27:38. | |
it will be treated with the utmost seriousness. Mr Gavin Robinson. | :27:39. | :27:47. | |
Thank you Mr Speaker. Can I apologise for my vocal fray, I will | :27:48. | :27:49. | |
be able to struggle through the question hopefully. I find | :27:50. | :27:52. | |
e-government's response to this entire crisis as a them at times | :27:53. | :27:57. | |
being frustratingly slow. And appearing to lack compassion. But I | :27:58. | :28:02. | |
do support it and I do think you are on the right track and I was | :28:03. | :28:07. | |
bolstered at the weekend by the view which believes that UK government is | :28:08. | :28:11. | |
approaching this in the right frame. In supporting the reconsideration, | :28:12. | :28:15. | |
government is now taking on refugee children, particularly, could the | :28:16. | :28:18. | |
Minister give a timescale for that? Bearing in mind that a knee jerk | :28:19. | :28:23. | |
reaction for selfish clinic`l game, which is an based in the best | :28:24. | :28:27. | |
interest of the child, would be wholly frivolous and | :28:28. | :28:31. | |
counterproductive? I think ht is right that we do take some time to | :28:32. | :28:34. | |
consider this issue properlx. Because of the issue begot | :28:35. | :28:37. | |
honourable judgement highlights about what is in the best interest | :28:38. | :28:41. | |
of the children. And indeed the advice we have had from the best way | :28:42. | :28:45. | |
to help children in the reghon. I would say on his issue of compassion | :28:46. | :28:48. | |
with the aid and investment that we have given in the region, the focus | :28:49. | :28:52. | |
on education to ensure that children in the region have hope, absolutely | :28:53. | :28:56. | |
has that sense of compassion behind it. It has been structured hn that | :28:57. | :29:05. | |
way. Thank you Mr Speaker. @s the primary educator, my heart was | :29:06. | :29:07. | |
broken on Thursday seeing the conditions of the children hn the | :29:08. | :29:10. | |
camp at the jungle in Calais, no matter what side of the argtment you | :29:11. | :29:17. | |
are on. And a round table wd understand that there are 200 or 300 | :29:18. | :29:22. | |
families with many children who probably had the right to rdmain in | :29:23. | :29:27. | |
the UK, but they do not know their legal rights. Danny minister commit | :29:28. | :29:31. | |
to putting a legal resource into that camp to help those famhlies, | :29:32. | :29:37. | |
and folly the traffickers, because they have the right to come herein | :29:38. | :29:41. | |
referred lights? Hear, hear I say ultimately, these are matters | :29:42. | :29:45. | |
for the French government. We have committed resourcing in terls of | :29:46. | :29:49. | |
what actually happens in thdir own country. And the arrangements there. | :29:50. | :29:53. | |
But I do underline this isste of claiming asylum in France, to see | :29:54. | :29:59. | |
that assistance is provided at the earliest opportunity. That hs what | :30:00. | :30:02. | |
we have committed with the French government, to support them in the | :30:03. | :30:06. | |
activity. For example we have provided funding to assist them and | :30:07. | :30:10. | |
creating the perception centres outside of Calais, to see that | :30:11. | :30:13. | |
people are able to travel away from the area and to get the support that | :30:14. | :30:19. | |
they need. Mr Andrews Larter. Thank you Mr Speaker. Will be govdrnment | :30:20. | :30:26. | |
-- when will the government decide to support the amendment? When I was | :30:27. | :30:30. | |
in the Calais capital and the 2 st of December... Trying to look after | :30:31. | :30:39. | |
some of the unaccompanied children, by the time I encountered them at | :30:40. | :30:42. | |
Westminster in January, the three-year-old I encountered was | :30:43. | :30:48. | |
that. Mr Speaker, this Wedndsday will be a suitable date for the | :30:49. | :30:51. | |
Minister to make up his mind to let the children and? I say to the | :30:52. | :30:55. | |
honourable gentleman that the appropriate aim to do is to consider | :30:56. | :31:01. | |
the issues of the best interest of the child, to get the furthdr input | :31:02. | :31:06. | |
from the UNHCR and others, because of the risk of making the shtuation | :31:07. | :31:10. | |
worse. Of actually the risk of seeing that more children ptt their | :31:11. | :31:14. | |
lives on the line by making those perilous journeys across thd | :31:15. | :31:17. | |
Mediterranean. That is at the forefront of our minds and that is | :31:18. | :31:22. | |
why we will consider it in that way. Thank you Mr Speaker. At thd heart | :31:23. | :31:28. | |
of the modern slavery at, and splitting victims of exploitation | :31:29. | :31:32. | |
and trafficking first -- and putting victims first. I wonder that in this | :31:33. | :31:35. | |
case it is quite clear that unaccompanied children are the most | :31:36. | :31:41. | |
vulnerable victims of traffhcking. Danny minister say exactly what is | :31:42. | :31:44. | |
happening to identify these very vulnerable children that have been | :31:45. | :31:48. | |
trafficked and are at risk of exploitation and taking a ddcision | :31:49. | :31:53. | |
to get them to this country? I say to the honourable Lady, that is part | :31:54. | :31:56. | |
of the joint declaration th`t was signed last August, we are providing | :31:57. | :31:59. | |
a specific financial assist`nce to fund a project aimed at the most | :32:00. | :32:03. | |
vulnerable people. In and around Calais. That aims to increase | :32:04. | :32:07. | |
observations and accounts to identify vulnerable migrants, to | :32:08. | :32:11. | |
provide medical help and protection where required and to put in place a | :32:12. | :32:14. | |
system to transfer them, brhskly, to places of safety and ensure that | :32:15. | :32:17. | |
they are offered the appropriate advice and support from the French | :32:18. | :32:25. | |
system. Thank you Mr Speaker. Can I ask the Minister not to listen to | :32:26. | :32:28. | |
the Member for Gainsborough, with his separation of rationality and he | :32:29. | :32:33. | |
motioned over this issue. The member just laid out a fact and we are | :32:34. | :32:40. | |
merely responded, but the Mdmber for Gainsborough has no monopolx on | :32:41. | :32:43. | |
rationality here. Will be rdcall that almost one year ago today on | :32:44. | :32:51. | |
the 29th of January,... Orddr! I'm sorry the honourable lady is asking | :32:52. | :32:55. | |
a question and she is speakhng to a member who is courteously lhstening, | :32:56. | :32:59. | |
and there is conversation t`king place between two other members who | :33:00. | :33:01. | |
think what they have to say to each other is more important than what | :33:02. | :33:04. | |
the honourable lady has to say to the House. Your remarks can wait | :33:05. | :33:10. | |
another time. We are discussing a very serious matter. Your thoughts | :33:11. | :33:12. | |
have been heard and that's here others'. Ms., please feel free to | :33:13. | :33:19. | |
start again and go to the qtestion. This is important and courtdous | :33:20. | :33:21. | |
attentiveness is important `s well. Thank you Mr Speaker. I will not | :33:22. | :33:27. | |
detain the House again with my treaties on rationality. But I will | :33:28. | :33:29. | |
just say that we are merely talking about the fact copy it is the fact | :33:30. | :33:33. | |
that two years ago in his place on the 29th of January, 2014, the | :33:34. | :33:37. | |
government refused our calls to join the UNHCR scheme for resettlement of | :33:38. | :33:41. | |
refugees and it took a bravd media in our country to change thdir | :33:42. | :33:46. | |
minds. So can I simply say to the Minister, don't leave it too long | :33:47. | :33:53. | |
again. Open our doors, now. Minister. I say to the honotrable | :33:54. | :33:57. | |
lady that the focus of this government is providing the most it | :33:58. | :33:59. | |
portends a port to be vulnerable and portends a port to be vulnerable and | :34:00. | :34:04. | |
that is why we have established the scheme -- most important support. | :34:05. | :34:07. | |
That's why we are providing aid and assistance in the region because it | :34:08. | :34:09. | |
is about hoping the most nulber of people possible. We do that most | :34:10. | :34:14. | |
effectively in those areas `nd indeed by some additional ftnding | :34:15. | :34:17. | |
that I have outlined to the House this afternoon. But I do sax, in all | :34:18. | :34:21. | |
honesty we are considering the issue carefully. We get it right rather | :34:22. | :34:28. | |
than running to any specific timetable because of issues that are | :34:29. | :34:30. | |
involved as we are talking `bout children. Thank you Mr Speaker. This | :34:31. | :34:35. | |
is of course an extreme isste and our hearts go out to the chhldren in | :34:36. | :34:40. | |
need and the jungle and Cal`is. But only need to be very careful about | :34:41. | :34:44. | |
confusing the clear message of UK's eight effort come in mainly that it | :34:45. | :34:49. | |
is in children's effort to remain in the region where UK aid is `vailable | :34:50. | :34:52. | |
and be hundreds of million of pounds, and that not put thdm into | :34:53. | :34:57. | |
the crutches of evil traffickers who frankly do not care if they live or | :34:58. | :35:00. | |
die. Hear, hear! I think my honourable friend has | :35:01. | :35:03. | |
made his point very concisely and very well. It is at risk of the | :35:04. | :35:07. | |
exportation that people traffickers that we do have at the forefront of | :35:08. | :35:11. | |
our minds. And equally the way that social media is being played into | :35:12. | :35:15. | |
this. To self also an false opportunity in putting lives at | :35:16. | :35:20. | |
risk. Thank you Mr Speaker. I would like to think the colleagues from | :35:21. | :35:25. | |
seven different political p`rties, including the conservative party, | :35:26. | :35:28. | |
who signed a joint letter to the Prime Minister on this very subject, | :35:29. | :35:31. | |
and indeed signed by the right honourable lady, the Member for | :35:32. | :35:34. | |
Pontifex. We welcome the fact that the government are still considering | :35:35. | :35:39. | |
this. We invite them to do so with a greater degree of urgency. Hf it is | :35:40. | :35:43. | |
in fact 3000 children that the government are considering, I hope | :35:44. | :35:45. | |
that they would not suggest that that is something that should happen | :35:46. | :35:48. | |
over a period of five years, because if it is than some of those children | :35:49. | :35:52. | |
will be at risk of freezing to death for the next four years or falling | :35:53. | :35:59. | |
into the hands of traffickers in. I say to the honourable gentldman that | :36:00. | :36:02. | |
we are providing assistance to refugees across Europe and hn the | :36:03. | :36:08. | |
Balkans as I've indicated from the additional ?30 million that the | :36:09. | :36:12. | |
deputy secretary outlined l`st week. We do need to take care to dnsure | :36:13. | :36:16. | |
that we are not making the situation worse, that we are putting the best | :36:17. | :36:18. | |
interest of children at the forefront of our mind and I might as | :36:19. | :36:23. | |
I've already indicated under the resettlement scheme, around half of | :36:24. | :36:25. | |
those who have arrived alre`dy our children. | :36:26. | :36:32. |