Lord Higgins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Higgins on 2015-09-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to take steps to ensure that the United Kingdom can decide where to land migrants rescued from the Mediterranean by the Royal Navy, so as to ensure that they are not landed in the European Union.

Lord Bates

Under international law the UK has a duty not to return people who are rescued at sea to countries where they would be at risk of serious harm. That is why migrants rescued at sea are taken to Italy as this is considered the nearest safe country.

But we are pushing for the swift establishment of ‘hot spot’ screening centres and action to return those who do not need our protection to their countries of origin.