Written question asked by Lord Hylton (Crossbench) on Wednesday, 2 December 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 16 December 2020. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Tuesday, 29 December 2020 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Canary Islands: Migrants and Refugees

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Spain about the number of migrants and refugees arriving in the Canary Islands; whether that government has requested any assistance with this matter; and what plans they have to offer support (1) to aid that government's assessment and resettlement of those migrants, and (2) to prevent the establishment of permanent camps.

Answer: The UK Government, through our Embassy in Madrid, discusses a range of issues related to migration with the Spanish authorities. Our Embassy monitors closely the recent rise in migrant crossings from West Africa to the Canary Islands which, according to Spain's Ministry of the Interior, increased by 1,019% between 1 January and 15 November compared with the same period in 2019. The Government of Spain has not requested assistance in managing this increase in arrivals and the UK Government, whilst committed to working with Spain to achieve safe and properly managed migration, has no plans to intervene.

Secondary information