Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 25 Nov 2021
Operation Warm Welcome
"I just want to ask about a resettlement scheme being set up for Afghan citizens, which we keep being told about. When is it going to come into operation?..."Baroness Kennedy of Shaws - View Speech
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Written Question
Wednesday 29th September 2021
Asked by:
Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to provide visas to Afghan women at risk, especially judges, lawyers, MPs, journalists and human rights defenders, and (2) to work with domestic and international partners on identifying such women.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford
- Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), announced on 18 August, will provide those put at risk by recent events in Afghanistan with a route to safety. The scheme will prioritise:
- those who have assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as democracy, women’s rights and freedom of speech, rule of law (for example, judges, women’s rights activists, academics, journalists); and
- vulnerable people, including women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups at risk (including ethnic and religious minorities and LGBT+).
In delivering the ACRS, the Government will work with the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR and other international partners in the region to identify and resettle people at risk, including women and girls.
Written Question
Wednesday 29th September 2021
Asked by:
Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Afghan women at risk, including judges, lawyers, MPs, journalists and human rights defenders, were resettled to the UK in August and September.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford
- Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The United Kingdom evacuated around 5,000 Afghan nationals under the ARAP scheme and around 500 special cases of particularly vulnerable Afghans, including Chevening scholars, journalists, human rights defenders, campaigners for women’s rights, judges, and many others. Around half of those resettled were women.
Written Question
Wednesday 29th September 2021
Asked by:
Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what practical assistance they are providing to Afghan women, particularly judges, lawyers, MPs, journalists, human rights defenders and others at particular risk.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford
- Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
A bespoke new safe and legal route will welcome Afghans most at risk who have been forced to flee the country, including women, girls and religious and other minorities given their particular vulnerability, to the UK. The ACRS will prioritise:
Those who have assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as democracy, women’s rights and freedom of speech, rule of law (for example, judges, women’s rights activists, journalists); and vulnerable people, including women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups at risk (including ethnic and religious minorities and LGBT+).
Under Operation Warm Welcome, we are taking a cross-government approach to ensuring Afghans arriving in the UK are able to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education and integrate with their local communities.
All those brought to the UK under ACRS will have the right to work, access to education and healthcare and be able to apply for public funds. To ensure they will be supported properly, changes will be made to legislation so that, if necessary, people arriving under ACRS do not need to meet the habitual residence test.
They will also receive comprehensive integration support as they start their new lives in the UK. A package of support to acclimatise to the UK, learn English, and find work, will enable rapid self-sufficiency and social integration in UK communities.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 11 Jan 2021
Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill
"My Lords, I echo the grave concerns of many Peers. I also endorse what has been said about the good faith of my noble friend Lady Chakrabarti and her commitment to civil liberties. That has been the imprimatur—the standard she has been the bearer of in her professional life.
We …..."Baroness Kennedy of Shaws - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 11 Jan 2021
Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill
"My Lords, there are obvious flaws in any authorisation procedure in which the main safeguard against a public body carrying out unjustified surveillance, for example, or committing serious crime, is a senior official from the same organisation. It just does not make good sense. Even the most diligent individual would …..."Baroness Kennedy of Shaws - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 06 Jan 2021
Law Enforcement: Brexit Impacts
"My Lords, I first pay tribute to the Minister, who led a very fine debate last night on domestic abuse and domestic violence. I wish to pick up on that in relation to the questions of my noble friend. When protection orders are made on domestic abuse to protect someone …..."Baroness Kennedy of Shaws - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 05 Jan 2021
Domestic Abuse Bill
"My Lords, like others in this House, I have been involved in seeking reform of the law on domestic abuse since the 1970s. Change has been a long time coming; for too long, our institutions totally failed to understand the nature of such abuse, and while of course it is …..."Baroness Kennedy of Shaws - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 11 Nov 2020
Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill
"I join others in welcoming the noble Lord, Lord McLoughlin, and the noble and learned Lord, Lord Stewart, to this House and commend them on their maiden speeches. I want to say particularly to the noble and learned Lord, who like me is a Scot but also a criminal lawyer, …..."Baroness Kennedy of Shaws - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 22 Jul 2020
Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill
"My Lords, I cannot disguise my despair when I watch the ineptitude of this Government: their handling of the pandemic and the abysmal complacency and incompetence that we saw there; their blind pursuit of a hard Brexit, even though we are facing a serious economic recession and imagined contracts may …..."Baroness Kennedy of Shaws - View Speech
View all Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill