On Monday, in a written question to the UK government, Lord Alf Dubs – who is himself a refugee – asked what discussions had been held with Crown Dependencies about the possibility of accommodating unaccompanied child refugees.
He also asked if any discussions had been had with regards to the islands taking refugees from Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
In response, Baroness Susan Williams of Trafford, the Minister of State for the Home Office, confirmed that discussions had been held with Crown Dependencies about the issue.
‘In the early stages of developing the UK’s response to the refugee crisis, conversations were held between the UK government and the Crown Dependencies to explore whether the infrastructure and capacity existed in the Crown Dependencies to support the resettlement of refugees under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme,’ she said.
‘Any offers of capacity and support for the UK schemes now or in the future are welcome.’
Lord Dubs, who is Jewish, fled his native Prague to travel to London at the age of six in March 1939 shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. He became an MP for Battersea in 1979 and went on to lead the UK government’s refugee council from 1988 to 1995.
And this week, speaking to the BBC, he explained why he thought Jersey and the other Crown Dependencies should help Britain to house refugees.
‘I have a sense that there is support in the Crown Dependencies – certainly in the Isle of Man there’s quite a lot of support,’ he said.
‘It is a matter of sharing responsibility. I think, small as the territories are, Jersey and Guernsey are able to provide a bit of support.
‘They are quite wealthy, they have the resources, and I think in the spirit of international co-operation they could do a little bit to help take some of the refugees – either children or families.’
It is not the first time the issue has been discussed. In September 2015, the then Chief Minister, Senator Ian Gorst, said he hoped five or six Syrian refugee families could be rehomed in Jersey.
However, around three months later, Senator Gorst said that if Jersey did go ahead with the idea, it could lead to further UK-based refugees coming to Jersey under the European Convention on Human Rights.
At the time he raised concerns over the impact that a large number of immigrants could have on Jersey’s housing stock, public services and the work market. Instead, the States committed to providing more overseas aid.
