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 - Shadow Home Secretary
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
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
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
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
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.