Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the recommendations of the Senior Coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths report following the Plymouth mass shooting, whether she plans to introduce a requirement to place a warning marker on all medical records.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are carefully considering all of the recommendations that the Senior Coroner for Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon made in his Prevention of Future Deaths Reports to the Home Secretary, following the Inquest into the shootings that took place in Keyham, Plymouth on 12August 2021, and will respond to all of the recommendations made to the Department as soon as possible.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Home Office, what progress has been made on the investigation of Keenie Meenie Services in relation to alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing investigations.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department made an assessment of the human rights situation in Rwanda prior to the partnership agreement on the hosting of refugees in Rwanda.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Our own assessment carried out prior to the agreement of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership found Rwanda to be a safe and secure country. Our Country Policy and Information Notes on Rwanda provide a robust report that demonstrates our commitment to fully evaluating whether Rwanda would be suitable for each potentially eligible person to be relocated. These notes are published and can found on gov.uk: Rwanda: country policy and information notes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
We would only ever work with countries that we know are safe and will treat asylum seekers in accordance with relevant international human rights laws.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish guidelines that protect LGBT+ refugees in relation to her proposals to offshore refugees to Rwanda.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
There are currently no plans to publish any LGBT+ specific guidance for individuals considered for relocation to Rwanda as part of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership.
The Home Office published a Country Policy and Information Note (CPIN) for Rwanda on 9 May 2022, which provides an assessment on the Rwandan asylum system and various human rights aspects. It supports decision-makers as they consider relocating an individual to Rwanda. In the CPIN, it states that ‘there are not substantial grounds for believing that a person, if relocated, would face a real risk of being subjected to treatment that is likely to be contrary to Article 3 ECHR by virtue of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.’ However, it acknowledges that this may be different for trans individuals.
The decision to relocate an individual to Rwanda will be taken on a case-by-case basis and no one will be relocated if it is unsafe to do so.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of whether Rwanda is a safe country to which to send LGBT+ refugees.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
There are currently no plans to publish any LGBT+ specific guidance for individuals considered for relocation to Rwanda as part of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership.
The Home Office published a Country Policy and Information Note (CPIN) for Rwanda on 9 May 2022, which provides an assessment on the Rwandan asylum system and various human rights aspects. It supports decision-makers as they consider relocating an individual to Rwanda. In the CPIN, it states that ‘there are not substantial grounds for believing that a person, if relocated, would face a real risk of being subjected to treatment that is likely to be contrary to Article 3 ECHR by virtue of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.’ However, it acknowledges that this may be different for trans individuals.
The decision to relocate an individual to Rwanda will be taken on a case-by-case basis and no one will be relocated if it is unsafe to do so.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the grant rate for asylum applications at her proposed offshore processing centres in Rwanda.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Migration and Economic Development Partnership between the UK and Rwanda will see those migrants travelling to the UK through unnecessary and dangerous methods, considered for relocation to Rwanda, where they will have their asylum claim processed. Once a person is relocated to Rwanda, their asylum claim becomes the responsibility of that country and falls under their jurisdiction. We therefore cannot comment on the grant rate for asylum applications in Rwanda. However, we expect asylum claims will be decided within a reasonable period of time.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Rwanda published on 14 April 2022, when the monitoring group will be established; and whether the findings and recommendations of that group will be published.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
An independent Monitoring Committee will monitor the entire relocation process and compliance with assurances in the Memorandum of Understanding, including the processing of asylum claims and provision of support in Rwanda.
The Monitoring Committee is due to become operational in the coming months. More details on this will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of her proposals to offshore refugees to Rwanda on family reunion as a safe route of entry to the UK.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
With the exception of unaccompanied children, any individual who has arrived in the UK since 1 January 2022 by unnecessary and dangerous means from safe countries – including those arriving by small boats, hidden in the back of lorries - may be considered for relocation to Rwanda.
An individualised assessment of each suitable person’s circumstances will be undertaken prior to any decision to relocate them to Rwanda. We would not relocate someone where it would be unsafe or inappropriate to do so. More details are set out in our inadmissibility policy guidance on. GOV.UK.
For those with family links in the UK, who want to be considered for entry to the UK, they should seek to do so via legal and safe routes. Nobody should put their lives into the hands of criminal people smuggling gangs by making dangerous and irregular journeys.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the plans to offshore refugees to Rwanda, whether people arriving in the UK to join family members will be considered eligible to be sent to Rwanda.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
With the exception of unaccompanied children, any individual who has arrived in the UK since 1 January 2022 by unnecessary and dangerous means from safe countries – including those arriving by small boats, hidden in the back of lorries - may be considered for relocation to Rwanda.
An individualised assessment of each suitable person’s circumstances will be undertaken prior to any decision to relocate them to Rwanda. We would not relocate someone where it would be unsafe or inappropriate to do so. More details are set out in our inadmissibility policy guidance on. GOV.UK.
For those with family links in the UK, who want to be considered for entry to the UK, they should seek to do so via legal and safe routes. Nobody should put their lives into the hands of criminal people smuggling gangs by making dangerous and irregular journeys.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will ensure that (a) women and (b) people who are assessed to be vulnerable will not be offshored under the Government's plans to offshore refugees to Rwanda.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
With the exception of unaccompanied children, any individual who has arrived in the UK since 1 January 2022 by unnecessary and dangerous means from safe countries – including those arriving by small boats, hidden in the back of lorries - may be considered for relocation to Rwanda
An individualised assessment of each suitable person’s circumstances will be undertaken prior to any decision to relocate them to Rwanda. Any vulnerabilities will be taken into consideration and every individual who is suitable for relocation under this policy will be able to make representations where they are concerned the country in question would not be safe for them. We would not relocate someone where it would be unsafe or inappropriate to do so. More details are set out in our inadmissibility policy guidance on GOV.UK.
Our assessment is that Rwanda is a safe and secure country with respect for the rule of law. Our Country Policy Information Note, published on 9 May on GOV.UK, provides further information on the basis by which we have determined that Rwanda is a safe place for refugees.
In a case where someone is claiming to be under 18 years old, they would not be relocated until the appropriate age assessment process has been completed. Where an individual has no credible evidence of their age and where there continues to be doubt, a thorough age assessment process will be followed. They will be treated as though they are a child until a decision on their age has been made.