: Diolch. Turning now
to the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine, which
has cost thousands of lives, this conflict is exacerbating, as
you know, an already very serious refugee crisis in the region.
There are 1.5 million internally displaced people in Gaza, which
is more than half of the population, and half of all housing in
the besieged Gaza strip has already been destroyed or damaged.
Scotland's First Minister, , along with City of Sanctuary,
has called on the UK Government to welcome Palestinian refugees
to the UK and for the international community to commit to a
worldwide refugee programme for the people of Gaza. Once the UK
has done this, the First Minister of Scotland has said that their
country is willing to offer safety and sanctuary to those being
forced to flee death, disease and destruction.
Within the nation of sanctuary and asylum-seeker plan, one of the
action points is to continue to promote Welsh values of welcoming
those fleeing the violence and persecution of war. So, given
this, what discussions have you had with the UK Government
regarding the creation of a refugee resettlement scheme for those
in Gaza who want to and are able to leave? Do you echo the calls
of ? Is Wales ready and willing to
welcome all refugees from Gaza and not only those with British
passports, especially given the Tory Westminster Government's
determination to break international law to enact its cruel
immigration policies?
(Minister for Social Justice
and Chief Whip): 0Diolch yn fawr, Sioned Williams. It is very
important that we continue—and we debated this last week—to do
what we can, not just in terms of community cohesion, which I
expressed and updated Members on ways in which we're engaging
with communities in Wales, but also that we look at what we can
do as a nation of sanctuary. Obviously, matters relating to
immigration remain the responsibility of the UK Government, and
this does include potential refugee resettlement schemes. We're
in regular contact with the UK Government to look at the
situation and also we recognise that there haven't been any
announcements by the UK Government on any resettlement packages
for those from Gaza and Israel wishing to seek
sanctuary in Wales. But I'm sure that you will be pleased, as we
all supported those regulations yesterday, the homelessness
regulations, that we're doing what we can to provide support for
those who have got status or dual status to come and be supported
in terms of housing. So, we need to look at what humanitarian
support can be given. Absolutely, humanitarian law is the
foundation of humanitarian action, and we will continue to work,
particularly in maintaining contact and, indeed, obviously,
liaising with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
about those people who also in Wales have been caught up in the
conflict.
