Member

Amendments 165 and 166 seek to expand the scope of refugee family reunion eligibility to include a range of individuals—the sponsor’s sibling, adopted sibling or parents—and to broaden the exceptional circumstances in which an applicant can join a sponsor. I want to make it clear from the Dispatch Box today that the Government uphold the principle of family unity, especially for vulnerable children. In terms of the family reunion issue that we are looking at, we will engage with relevant bodies and organisations—this goes to the point that the noble Lord, Lord German, made about the context of family reunion—as part of that ongoing review. However, it is important that we also recognise that the scope of Amendment 166 would in fact widen the extended family quite considerably, including to those who may or may not need protection. This would risk reducing our capacity to assist the most vulnerable refugees.