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Vol. 768 Monday No. 107 8 February 2016 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDER OF BUSINESS Questions Refugees: Unaccompanied Children ............................................................................................1979 Creative Industries ........................................................................................................................1981 Tourism ..........................................................................................................................................1984 Allied Health Professionals: Training .........................................................................................1986 Riot Compensation Bill First Reading .................................................................................................................................1988 Criminal Cases Review Commission (Information) Bill First Reading .................................................................................................................................1988 Immigration Bill Motion to Approve........................................................................................................................1989 Education and Adoption Bill Third Reading................................................................................................................................1989 Trade Union Bill Committee (1st Day) ...................................................................................................................2001 Junior Doctors Statement .......................................................................................................................................2030 Syria Statement .......................................................................................................................................2034 Local Government Finance Statement .......................................................................................................................................2043 Opticians Act 1989 Question for Short Debate ...........................................................................................................2051 Trade Union Bill Committee (1st Day) (Continued)..............................................................................................2064 Grand Committee Transport for London Bill [HL] Motion to Take Note...............................................................................................................GC 97 Pensions Act 2014 (Consequential and Supplementary Amendments) Order 2016 ............GC 107 State Pension and Occupational Pension Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2016 .........................................................................................................................GC 116 Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2016 .........................................................................................................................GC 116 Infrastructure Planning (Onshore Wind Generating Stations) Order 2016 ..........................GC 119 Motions to Consider £4·00 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. 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The first time a Member speaks to a new piece of parliamentary business, the following abbreviations are used to show their party affiliation: Abbreviation Party/Group CB Cross Bench Con Conservative DUP Democratic Unionist Party GP Green Party Ind Lab Independent Labour Ind LD Independent Liberal Democrat Ind SD Independent Social Democrat Ind UU Independent Ulster Unionist Lab Labour LD Liberal Democrat LD Ind Liberal Democrat Independent Non-afl Non-affiliated PC Plaid Cymru UKIP UK Independence Party UUP Ulster Unionist Party No party affiliation is given for Members serving the House in a formal capacity, the Lords spiritual, Members on leave of absence or Members who are otherwise disqualified from sitting in the House. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2016, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1979 Refugees: Unaccompanied Children[8 FEBRUARY 2016] Refugees: Unaccompanied Children 1980 Europol and what discussions we are having with it House of Lords about tackling this? Also, given that the 100,000 people Monday, 8 February 2016. now massing at Oncupinar, on the Turkish border with the Aleppo province, are facing an aerial 2.30 pm bombardment campaign and the borders are closed to them—many of those refugees will be children—what Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Chester. action are the Government taking to ask that those borders be opened to allow the refugees safe passage Refugees: Unaccompanied Children across? Question Lord Bates: The noble Lord is absolutely right to 2.35 pm focus on this. Europol estimates that some 90% of people who arrive at Calais have been trafficked by Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno criminal gangs. That is why the Prime Minister announced To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action that we are setting up the Organised Immigration they are taking to relieve the situation of Crime Task Force, and there have been some early unaccompanied refugee children. successes, although we need to work much harder on that. That is also why Kevin Hyland—I know the The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Bates) noble Lord knows him and respects his work—is (Con): My Lords, the Government are working with looking at those issues. On the situation in Turkey, the UNHCR to resettle unaccompanied refugee children that is why we have announced a further £275 million from conflict areas where it is in the best interests of as part of the EU-Turkey agreement, to provide aid to the child to do so. These are likely to be exceptional that southern border. cases: for most children, their needs are best met in the region. We are providing an additional £10 million of Lord Lexden (Con): My noble friend recently told support for vulnerable children in Europe. the House he hoped that more local authorities would extend a warm welcome to refugee children and ensure Lord Roberts of Llandudno (LD): On 2 December, that they are well cared for, in accordance with the the Prime Minister said that he was thinking again traditions of our country. Has there been progress? about our moral duty towards these children. That was 10 weeks ago. What has happened in that 10 weeks, Lord Bates: I must admit that I wish there had been and what is going to happen in the next 10 weeks, to more. My noble friend is right to raise this matter. those children who are spread out in so many ways? Kent is bearing an unfair share of the burden of They are deserving of our compassion, and those who caring for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children: are showing compassion are the people—young people more than 1,000 are being cared for there. The Home especially—working as volunteers in Calais, Dunkirk Secretary, the Secretary of State for Education, and and other places. As a House, we should express our the Secretary of State for Communities and Local appreciation of everything that they are doing. Government wrote in November asking local authorities to come forward. So far we have had interest from Lord Bates: I certainly endorse what the noble Lord 24—but that is out of 440. Only eight children out of says about the volunteers who are giving up their time 1,000 have so far been offered places. I would like to to help those people in need. The noble Lord asked think that all Members of this House who have links what has happened since 2 December. On 28 January, to their local authorities would be encouraging them the Prime Minister made a Statement outlining what to look again and see what can be done to help Kent in he had done in the interim period, and he announced its hour of need. four new initiatives. He said that he was going to send the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Kevin Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Lab): My Lords, as Hyland, to look at the hotspots, as they are called, or the Minister may know, Eritrean children are fleeing reception centres, to see what was happening to children. from their country because of their experience of the We announced an additional £10 million of support, most brutal human rights violations, often described particularly for children who had arrived