Opposition day on Wednesday, 16 March 2022, in the House of Commons, led by Stuart C McDonald. The answering members were Stephen Kinnock, Tom Pursglove and Eddie Hughes.

Refugees from Ukraine

Sixteenth opposition day debate (part one), on a motion in the name of the Leader of the second largest opposition party (SNP). Motion that this House once more condemns President Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and the war crimes being perpetrated by the Russian state there; reiterates the House’s solidarity with Ukrainians in their resistance to Russia’s invasion of their sovereign state; recognises that Europe is now seeing the largest movement of refugees since the second world war, for whom the UK shares responsibility; warmly welcomes the significant and widespread offers of support for those fleeing the invasion from people and organisations across the UK; supports expansion of the family visa scheme and Homes for Ukraine scheme; and calls on the Government to go further and faster in its response, including waiving requirements for Ukrainians to apply for visas in advance of their arrival in the UK so as to facilitate speedy access to international protection here, working with international partners to ensure vulnerable people can be resettled here and providing full and sustained funding and safeguarding to support people to rebuild their lives. Agreed to on question.

Secondary information

Type: Parliamentary proceeding
Reference: 710 cc897-941
Session: 2021-22
Department: Home Office; Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Proceeding contributions: Stuart C McDonald | 710 cc897-8 (Link to this contribution)
I beg to move,
That this House once more condemns President Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukr...; Jeremy Corbyn | 710 c898 (Link to this contribution)
I fully support the hon. Gentleman’s motion and the way in which he is speaking to it. Obviously,...; Stuart C McDonald | 710 c898 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his question. What we have seen in Ukraine, and the...; Alison Thewliss | 710 c898 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is making a very good and useful speech. One of the people facing frustrations is ...; Stuart C McDonald | 710 c899 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Every Member of this House will almost certainly have constit...; Liz Saville Roberts | 710 c899 (Link to this contribution)
I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will join me in asking the Minister when exactly the applicatio...; Stuart C McDonald | 710 c899 (Link to this contribution)
That is a very good question, and one that we touched on in the Home Affairs Committee this morni...; Claire Hanna | 710 c899 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving voice to our many constituents who want a compassionate and...; Stuart C McDonald | 710 c900 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention. I think that a lot of this is tied up with Home Offic...; Huw Merriman | 710 c900 (Link to this contribution)
Just to be clear, is the hon. Gentleman saying that there should not be any checks at all? Does h...; Stuart C McDonald | 710 cc900-1 (Link to this contribution)
Nobody on these Benches is suggesting that no checks should be required. I will come to that late...; Joanna Cherry | 710 c901 (Link to this contribution)
As usual, my hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. Is he aware of the views of Lord Peter Ri...; Stuart C McDonald | 710 cc901-2 (Link to this contribution)
I agree with my hon. and learned Friend. I know that she made a similar point in Monday night’s d...; Tom Pursglove | 710 cc902-3 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome this debate and the opportunity it provides for a constructive and pragmatic discussion...; Alison Thewliss | 710 c903 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister has set out the number of applications that have been made, completed and processed....; Tom Pursglove | 710 c903 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the hon. Lady. I would expect to see a real surge in the numbers of applications...; Mike Amesbury | 710 c903 (Link to this contribution)
A couple of weeks ago I, again through the Home Office and others, helped a family to arrive in N...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c903 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for the work he has been doing as a constituency MP in aiding his cons...; Drew Hendry | 710 c904 (Link to this contribution)
Given that the United Nations is reporting that some 3 million people have fled Ukraine over the ...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c904 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman speaks with great passion about these matters. I have set out some detail abou...; Drew Hendry | 710 c904 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the Minister for taking a further intervention on this point. He talks correctly...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c904 (Link to this contribution)
To illustrate the point I was making for the hon. Gentleman’s benefit, I repeat that it is import...; Peter Bone | 710 c904 (Link to this contribution)
On that point, surely if there is an unaccompanied child in Poland, say, we would want that child...; Tom Pursglove | 710 cc904-5 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise that particular perspective on this issue, and I will...; Liz Saville Roberts | 710 c905 (Link to this contribution)
One thing drawn to my attention by my constituent Gareth Roberts, who is presently travelling wit...; Tom Pursglove | 710 cc905-6 (Link to this contribution)
I will gladly take that point away and raise it with the noble Lord Harrington, who, as the right...; Jeremy Corbyn | 710 c906 (Link to this contribution)
I am pleased to hear that we are going to make these efforts to ensure that any Ukrainian who wan...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c906 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for the spirit in which he comes at this issue. I can p...; Huw Merriman | 710 c906 (Link to this contribution)
I apologise to the Minister, because this is specific. He mentioned individuals who have a spare ...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c906 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that point in some detail. It is probably best for me...; Alison Thewliss | 710 c906 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister is being very generous in giving way. We have many questions that are often best ask...; Tom Pursglove | 710 cc906-7 (Link to this contribution)
From Friday, individuals will be able to come forward and where they have that existing relations...; Mike Amesbury | 710 c907 (Link to this contribution)
I just have a quick practical question about the matching process. How will that be done for this...; Tom Pursglove | 710 cc907-8 (Link to this contribution)
There has been a little commentary around this matter, including at the Home Affairs Committee se...; Stuart C McDonald | 710 c908 (Link to this contribution)
What I do not understand is why this is any different for the many thousands of peoples who come ...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c908 (Link to this contribution)
I know that the hon. Gentleman feels passionately about this particular point. In response, I can...; Joanna Cherry | 710 c908 (Link to this contribution)
On the security issue, the Minister will have heard my intervention earlier, citing the views of ...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c908 (Link to this contribution)
I never like to disappoint the hon. and learned Lady in my answers, but clearly, we have to act i...; Anne McLaughlin | 710 c909 (Link to this contribution)
Is the Minister saying that the UK is receiving different security advice from all those European...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c909 (Link to this contribution)
Again, I make the point that we have to act in accordance with the advice that we receive. I am s...; Huw Merriman | 710 c909 (Link to this contribution)
Perhaps I can pass on some advice that I received from a constituent who is Ukrainian. She made i...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c909 (Link to this contribution)
It is fair to say that Ministers in government have at the forefront of their minds, as my hon. F...; Stuart C McDonald | 710 c909 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Tom Pursglove | 710 c909 (Link to this contribution)
I have been very generous, but I will give way to the hon. Gentleman one last time.; Stuart C McDonald | 710 c909 (Link to this contribution)
I apologise to the Minister, because in a sense I am making a point to the hon. Member for Bexhil...; Tom Pursglove | 710 cc909-910 (Link to this contribution)
I hear what the hon. Gentleman says. The fact is that I would like to think that we all recognise...; Stephen Kinnock | 710 cc910-1 (Link to this contribution)
There are turning points in history when the constant struggle between freedom and tyranny comes ...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c911 (Link to this contribution)
Would the hon. Gentleman not find it odd if the Department responsible for housing were not respo...; Stephen Kinnock | 710 c911 (Link to this contribution)
The vast majority of the issues that need to be resolved around bringing Ukrainians into this cou...; Liz Saville Roberts | 710 c911 (Link to this contribution)
Does the hon. Gentleman share my confusion about that comment by the Minister, given that the Hom...; Stephen Kinnock | 710 c912 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Lady is absolutely right. Operation Warm Welcome, the scheme for Afghans, has comp...; Peter Bone | 710 c912 (Link to this contribution)
I say to the shadow Minister that the SNP has moved the motion sensibly, criticising the Governme...; Stephen Kinnock | 710 cc912-3 (Link to this contribution)
I remind the hon. Gentleman that what is going on in Ukraine is a fight for democracy. In this Ho...; Mike Amesbury | 710 c913 (Link to this contribution)
Is the visa application not still a fundamental flaw in the Homes for Ukraine scheme? The conside...; Stephen Kinnock | 710 c913 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The bureaucracy of a 50-page form could so easily be cut thro...; Stuart C McDonald | 710 c913 (Link to this contribution)
I agree with much of what the shadow Minister has said, but can he be clear that Labour’s positio...; Stephen Kinnock | 710 c914 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman is right that we are not suggesting that security checks be waived. We are mak...; Alexander Stafford | 710 c914 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman is saying that Labour would have the checks in the UK. What would happen if so...; Stephen Kinnock | 710 c914 (Link to this contribution)
That is a matter for Border Force. They would take the action that they take with any individual ...; Richard Graham | 710 c914 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Stephen Kinnock | 710 c914 (Link to this contribution)
Traumatised people, whose lives have been turned upside down, are being pushed from pillar to pos...; Peter Bone | 710 c914 (Link to this contribution)
It is traditional to thank the previous speaker for their remarks, but regrettably I can find lit...; Richard Graham | 710 c914 (Link to this contribution)
The point I wanted to make to the shadow Minister is that the reason the Government Benches are n...; Peter Bone | 710 cc915-6 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for a very important intervention. I would not criticise the Opposition fo...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c916 (Link to this contribution)
It is fair to say that my hon. Friend has been a tireless advocate on these issues for many years...; Peter Bone | 710 c916 (Link to this contribution)
I am very grateful for the Minister’s intervention, and we have of course worked tirelessly with ...; Alexander Stafford | 710 c916 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is making an incredibly point about human trafficking. Does he agree that the UK s...; Peter Bone | 710 c916 (Link to this contribution)
I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. The problem is, or has been, that when we use that so...; Philippa Whitford | 710 c917 (Link to this contribution)
This is one of my concerns in that just getting accommodation by signing up to the website is not...; Peter Bone | 710 c917 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady raises a very interesting point. I have a lot of time for what she has to say, whic...; 710 c917 (Link to this contribution); Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 710 c917 (Link to this contribution)
As the House knows, we have an important statement at 3.30 pm. It would be expedient and good man...; Pete Wishart | 710 cc917-920 (Link to this contribution)
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bone). I do not know why he is ...; Philippa Whitford | 710 c918 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is giving praise for the fact there has been movement. I am sure that all of us wh...; Pete Wishart | 710 c918 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that case. We have heard all week about such cases, i...; Kevin Foster | 710 c918 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Pete Wishart | 710 c918 (Link to this contribution)
I see the Minister getting to his feet. I hope he will tell me that it is now resolved and that t...; Kevin Foster | 710 c918 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful for the opportunity to intervene briefly from the Dispatch Box. We were approached ...; Pete Wishart | 710 c921 (Link to this contribution)
I am happy to accept that challenge; I heard the Deputy Prime Minister raise it at Prime Minister...; Eddie Hughes | 710 c921 (Link to this contribution)
No, it hasn’t. It clearly hasn’t.; Pete Wishart | 710 c921 (Link to this contribution)
It has been done and put in place. Here is my challenge to the Under-Secretary of State for the H...; Kevin Foster | 710 c921 (Link to this contribution)
As I pointed out, these Ukrainian children are in Poland. For them to be moved unaccompanied requ...; Pete Wishart | 710 c921 (Link to this contribution)
Right. We will make sure that, once again, the information is given to the Minister. I hear him s...; Eddie Hughes | 710 c921 (Link to this contribution)
Once again? He has not been given it.; Pete Wishart | 710 c921 (Link to this contribution)
We will make sure that it is given. I think that the Minister is reasonably genuine about wanting...; Kevin Foster | 710 c921 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Pete Wishart | 710 c921 (Link to this contribution)
I am sure that the Minister will tell me the same thing, but we are working together and we will ...; Kevin Foster | 710 c921 (Link to this contribution)
I will very briefly state that the letter from the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK Government make...; Pete Wishart | 710 c922 (Link to this contribution)
That consent will be communicated to the Minister.
I do not know why I have been blessed by...; 710 c922 (Link to this contribution); Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 710 c922 (Link to this contribution)
We are not doing very well on the seven to eight minutes, so let us try a little bit harder—for a...; Huw Merriman | 710 cc922-3 (Link to this contribution)
You say “seven minutes”, Madam Deputy Speaker. The hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pe...; Pete Wishart | 710 c923 (Link to this contribution)
Five thousand five hundred!; Huw Merriman | 710 c923 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman yells a number at me. Let me give some more numbers. Between 2015 and 2020, th...; Richard Thomson | 710 c923 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Gentleman give way?; Huw Merriman | 710 c923 (Link to this contribution)
I will not, because I am respectful to the Chair. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman could learn from tha...; Marion Fellows | 710 c923 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Gentleman give way?; Huw Merriman | 710 cc923-4 (Link to this contribution)
I will not give way, for the reason that I have already mentioned. I want to stick to the time th...; Marion Fellows | 710 cc924-6 (Link to this contribution)
I truly wish that it were a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle (Huw Merrim...; Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 710 c925 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I know the hon. Lady did not mean to address the Ministers directly, so we will just prete...; Joanna Cherry | 710 c925 (Link to this contribution)
It is tempting to construct my whole speech around correcting inaccuracies in the speech of the h...; Huw Merriman | 710 c925 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. and learned Lady give way?; Joanna Cherry | 710 c925 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman has had his turn. Looking at the per capita share across Europe, the United Ki...; Huw Merriman | 710 c925 (Link to this contribution)
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. The record will be checked, but I related the figures ...; Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 710 cc925-7 (Link to this contribution)
There is clearly a disagreement here, which is why we are having a debate. Debates are about disa...; Joanna Cherry | 710 cc927-8 (Link to this contribution)
If the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle had taken interventions during his speech, we could hav...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c928 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. and learned Lady give way?; Joanna Cherry | 710 cc928-9 (Link to this contribution)
Not at this moment.
On the resettlement of refugees, Scotland has taken more per head of po...; Liz Saville Roberts | 710 c929 (Link to this contribution)
It was interesting to hear the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle (Huw Merriman) talking about a ...; Drew Hendry | 710 c929 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Lady has made an important point about the action that has been taken by Ireland, ...; Liz Saville Roberts | 710 cc930-1 (Link to this contribution)
I agree entirely on that. In the spirit of wishing to see this work and to support our constituen...; Richard Thomson | 710 cc931-4 (Link to this contribution)
Allow me, at the outset of my remarks, to salute the courage of the people of Ukraine, who are be...; Anne McLaughlin | 710 cc934-6 (Link to this contribution)
I want to acknowledge two things at the outset. First, the UK is not doing nothing and what the U...; Peter Bone | 710 c935 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady is making a crucial point about the way traffickers will bring people into this cou...; Anne McLaughlin | 710 c935 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman has done so much in this respect for victims of trafficking.
I want to r...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c937 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Lady give way?; Anne McLaughlin | 710 c937 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister does not know what I am going to say—he should wait till I say it. Lord Ricketts has...; Tom Pursglove | 710 c937 (Link to this contribution)
I think the hon. Lady will recognise the unique threat that the Russian state presents. We are cu...; Anne McLaughlin | 710 c937 (Link to this contribution)
We are far more comparable to European countries, and particularly to Ireland. I ask the question...; Mark Jenkinson | 710 c937 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Lady give way?; Anne McLaughlin | 710 cc937-8 (Link to this contribution)
No. I am not giving way to somebody who has not even been interested enough to sit through the de...; Huw Merriman | 710 c938 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Anne McLaughlin | 710 c938 (Link to this contribution)
Madam Deputy Speaker, do I have time to take an intervention?; Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 710 c938 (Link to this contribution)
Yes.; Anne McLaughlin | 710 cc938-9 (Link to this contribution)
Do you know what? I think I won’t—I’ll just carry on. [Laughter.] Thanks for that.
I want t...; Eddie Hughes | 710 c939 (Link to this contribution)
I fully appreciate the fact that we are in very dark times. War in Europe is something we should ...; John Howell | 710 c939 (Link to this contribution)
Will my hon. Friend give way?; Eddie Hughes | 710 c939 (Link to this contribution)
I will give way in a few minutes. Just give me a chance to build up.
We have also supplied ...; Anne McLaughlin | 710 c939 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Eddie Hughes | 710 c939 (Link to this contribution)
If the hon. Lady will bear with me, I need to courteously give way to my hon. Friend on the left....; John Howell | 710 c939 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Minister very much for giving way. May I add some other good news to his portfolio of...; Eddie Hughes | 710 cc939-942 (Link to this contribution)
That is fantastic news. I particularly thank my hon. Friend for his contribution to that effort.<...; Peter Bone | 710 c941 (Link to this contribution)
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. This will take one minute and 30 seconds. It is import...; Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 710 c941 (Link to this contribution)
I am extremely grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. I am happy to give him a di...; Valerie Vaz | 710 c941 (Link to this contribution)
Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker—; Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 710 c941 (Link to this contribution)
I will not take any further points of order, as it is 3.30 pm. I hand the Chamber to Mr Speaker.<...
Subjects: Armed conflict Housing Finance Families Refugees Visas Sponsorship Russia Ukraine Electronic government Homes for Ukraine scheme
Link: View this Parliamentary proceeding on hansard.parliament.uk

Refugees from Ukraine

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