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Vol. 803 Wednesday No. 61 20 May 2020 PARLIAMENTARYDEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDEROFBUSINESS Questions Covid-19: Refugee Camps ............................................................................................1099 Inheritance Tax.............................................................................................................1102 Covid-19: Ireland..........................................................................................................1105 Dental Care ..................................................................................................................1109 Covid-19: Schools Private Notice Question ................................................................................................1112 Weights and Measures Act 1985 (Definitions of “Metre” and “Kilogram”) (Amendment) Order 2020 Motion to Consider .......................................................................................................1117 Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Bill Virtual Committee.........................................................................................................1131 Covid-19: Care Homes Commons Urgent Question............................................................................................1175 EU: Future Relationship Commons Urgent Question ...........................................................................................1181 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. No proofs of Daily Reports are provided. Corrections for the bound volume which Lords wish to suggest to the report of their speeches should be clearly indicated in a copy of the Daily Report, which, with the column numbers concerned shown on the front cover, should be sent to the Editor of Debates, House of Lords, within 14 days of the date of the Daily Report. This issue of the Official Report is also available on the Internet at https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2020-05-20 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 Lab Co-op Labour and Co-operative Party 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 2020, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1099 Arrangement of Business [20 MAY 2020] Covid-19: Refugee Camps 1100 House of Lords Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: My Lords, the noble Lord raises a very important point. We have been at Wednesday 20 May 2020 the forefront—he will be aware of the £744 million of UK aid funding which we have committed thus far to global efforts to combat the outbreak of Covid-19, 11 am split across three areas: building resilience in vulnerable Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Portsmouth in a countries, finding a vaccine and supporting the economic Virtual Proceeding via video call. response. We are working with a raft of UN agencies, including the World Health Organization and UNICEF, Arrangement of Business as well as UNFPA and UNHCR, to support refugees Announcement specifically. 11.04 am The Archbishop of Canterbury: My Lords, the Minister will be aware of the Global Humanitarian Response The announcement was made in a Virtual Proceeding Plan published by the UN and updated this month, via video call. which emphasises The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler): My Lords, Virtual “The importance of involving and supporting local organizations Proceedings of the House of Lords will now begin. I … given the key role they are playing in this crisis.” remind Members that these proceedings are subject to In all areas where the world’s 70 million displaced parliamentary privilege and that what we say is available people gather, faith groups and especially churches are to the public both in Hansard and to those listening often the only remaining organisations with reach and watching. Members’ microphones will initially be from grass roots to leaders, but they are often ignored set to mute, and the broadcasting team will unmute by international and relief agencies. In many cases, their microphones shortly before we reach their place shortage of money and logistics hamper food distribution. in the speakers’ list. When Members have finished What steps are the Government taking to ensure that speaking, their microphone will again be set to mute. faith-based local groups are fully involved by all The Virtual Proceedings on Oral Questions will now international agencies in all aspects of relief, reconciliation commence. I ask everyone please to keep questions and moral and spiritual support? and answers as brief as possible so that we can fit in as many on the list as possible. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: My Lords, what the most reverend Primate said resonates with me. I am a Covid-19: Refugee Camps strong believer in the role of faith groups, particularly Question in the response to Covid. Specifically, we have, for example, allocated £55 million to established agencies 11.05 am such as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Asked by Lord Collins of Highbury Movement, as well as £20 million to international NGOs including Christian Aid. I share with noble Lords Toask Her Majesty’sGovernment what assessment that I shall be convening a meeting of aid agencies they have made of the response of international working within the faith sector, to see what we can do institutions to the impact of COVID-19 on refugee in a more co-ordinated way across the world in our camps. response to Covid-19, which will directly include faith The Question was considered in a Virtual Proceeding leaders as well. via video call. Lord Sheikh (Con): My Lords, I commend the The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Government on their commitment to provide £744 million Office and Department for International Development to combat Covid-19 globally. I refer to the Zaatari (Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon) (Con): My Lords, I am refugee camp in Jordan, which I have visited. It is the deeply concerned about Covid-19’s impact on refugees. largest refugee camp in the Middle East, housing The United Kingdom is at the forefront of the response nearly 80,000 Syrian refugees. It is a well-run camp and we have pushed to ensure that vulnerable groups, and several international institutions are providing including refugees, are factored into international plans. help and support. Following the pandemic, there has We are working closely with international partners to been lockdown in the camp. Conditions are being provide dedicated support in refugee camps, including controlled but the camp needs additional help. The hand-washing stations and isolation and treatment UK Government have agreed to provide £55 million in centres. Partners are rigorously assessed before they aid for refugees in Jordan for a period of three years. receive funding, with robust checks and measures to Can my noble friend the Minister confirm that aid will ensure that they are delivering effectively. be continued, and that refugees in Jordan will have a share of the £744 million? Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab): My Lords, the head of the UN Refugee Agency warned earlier this Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: My Lords, my noble week that Covid cases appear to be multiplying fast in friend is right to raise the issue of the camps—not just Yemen. Almost 10 million people are one step away the Zaatari camp in Jordan, which I too have visited, from famine and half the country’s health facilities but elsewhere in the world. Of course, measures such have been destroyed. Can the Minister detail what we as social distancing cannot apply in those camps, so are doing in the UN and with allies to urgently support we have been applying practical measures such as the people of Yemen? hand-washing and sanitation facilities. I confirm that 1101 Covid-19: Refugee Camps [LORDS] Inheritance Tax 1102 [LORD AHMAD OF WIMBLEDON] abuse and violence. What specific steps are the UK we will continue to support refugees across the world, Government taking to ensure that refugee women and including in our work with the Jordanian Government girls in camps do not become victims of abuse at this to support refugees from the Syrian conflict. time? The Earl of Sandwich (CB): My Lords, following Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: My noble friend is the question from the noble Lord, Lord Sheikh, I quite right to raise this issue. I recently engaged in a know that the Minister is well aware that 5.6 million virtual call with Pramila Patten, the SRSG on preventing Palestinian refugees are among those most at risk. Of sexual violence in conflict for the UN. I will be having course, this is mainly because of congestion, so what further discussions on this to ensure that we give are the Government doing to respond to the $93.4 million maximum support to girls and women who suffer appeal from UNRWA—UNRWA