Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation in Kobanî and neighbouring areas in Syria; and, in particular, (1) what proportion of the original population has been able to return from Turkey, and (2) what are the prospects of return for those still in Turkey; whether they plan to prioritise its reconstruction; and if so, how this is to be achieved.
Answered by Lord Bates
The humanitarian situation in Ain Al Arab sub-district, which includes Kobanî city, remains difficult, with over 50,000 people in acute need of assistance. The UK is supporting partners to deliver relief packages, food assistance, and livelihoods interventions.
Despite the challenging humanitarian environment, UN voluntary refugee return interviews indicate that over 20,000 Syrian refugees living in Turkey intended to return to Syria in 2018, with 1,585 expressing their intention to return to Ain Al Arab district. The UK is committed to ensuring that any refugee returns to Syria take place voluntarily and in line with international law. We will not support forced returns before Syria or parts of it are declared safe by the UN.
The UK will not consider providing any reconstruction assistance in Syria, including in Kobani, until a lasting political settlement to end the conflict and protect the rights of all Syrians is firmly underway. While the conflict is ongoing, we are focused on providing life-saving and life-changing support for millions of people across Syria. We remain the second largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian response in Syria since 2011 and have now committed £2.71 billion to the Syria Crisis to date.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of refugees and migrants currently held under duress by traffickers in Libya; and what plans, if any, exist for freeing them.
Answered by Lord Bates
The British Government remains deeply concerned that people smugglers and traffickers continue to exploit the desperation of migrants in Libya. Libya is a very challenging environment to operate in, which makes it difficult to accurately assess the number of migrants and refugees currently detained. The International Organisation for Migration estimate that 4,800 migrants are held in official detention centres, often subject to poor conditions and overcrowding, but this figure does not account for those held elsewhere by traffickers, militias or other armed groups. The Government has been clear that more needs to be done to break the business model of people smugglers and is taking steps to ensure that those responsible for trafficking are held to account. This includes supporting efforts to sanction people smugglers and build the capacity of Libyan law enforcement agencies. As part of these efforts, in June 2018, the UK together with international partners co-designated UN sanctions against six Libyan and Eritrean people traffickers.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what detailed information they have about conditions in the 26 detention camps for refugees and migrants in Libya which are part-funded by the EU Regional Emergency Trust Fund for Africa; and what assessment they have made of reports of malnutrition and abuse in those camps.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK government and the EU Regional Emergency Trust Fund for Africa do not fund or part-fund migrant detention centres in Libya or have any involvement in the day-to-day running of them. These centres are the responsibility of the Libyan authorities. The UK government does not hold detailed information on the centres but we are aware that conditions in them are appalling and we are concerned about those living in them.
We are urging the Libyan authorities to improve conditions in the centres, to develop alternatives, and, where it is possible to do so, UK aid is providing basic humanitarian support to those who are in them, including blankets and clothes.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the inability of the EU chief auditor to verify the expenditure of €1 billion of aid funding intended for refugees in Turkey; and whether they intend to make representations to the government of Turkey about such funds.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID welcomes the audit of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT) by the European Court of Auditors (ECA), published in November. The ECA’s report highlights the success of the FRIT in mobilising a swift response to the crisis and delivering projects that have provided helpful support to Syrian refugees in Turkey. DFID supports the ECA’s recommendations for further improvements to the FRIT, including improving access to primary data for two programmes (representing €382 million of FRIT expenditure). The ECA notes that the anonymised data provided by the Government of Turkey for these projects has made the European Commission’s monitoring and evaluation less effective.
The UK remains an active member of the FRIT Steering Committee and maintains a regular dialogue – at all levels – with the Government of Turkey on the FRIT. We have used our position to influence the FRIT to be more sustainable and maintain focus on supporting the most vulnerable, as well as challenging the European Commission to improve its monitoring and evaluation framework. We will continue to raise issues of concern with the relevant Turkish authorities and with the Commission.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conditions for migrants held in Libyan detention centres; and, further to any such assessment, whether they will review any UK funding for the (1) Libyan Coastguard, and (2) detention centres in Libya.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK remains concerned by the conditions faced by migrants in Libyan detention centres. We have consistently raised this issue with the Government of National Accord, including during a recent visit by the International Development Secretary. The UK continues to provide humanitarian support to vulnerable refugees and migrants in Libya, including through over £5m of funding for UN agencies and non-governmental organisations. UK assistance to the Libyan Coastguard has been delivered through financial contributions and the provision of two military training teams to Operation Sophia’s (the EU Naval Operation set up in response to the Mediterranean Migration Crisis) Coastguard Training Task. This training aims to equip the Libyan Coastguard with the skills required to manage search and rescue and conduct counter smuggling/trafficking activities properly, whilst respecting human rights. The training also includes sessions on seamanship. These efforts are part of a comprehensive approach to migration that includes supporting assisted voluntary returns, tackling people smuggling and encouraging economic development in source countries.