North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has spoken in the Assembly Chamber this week of his concern that some local authorities in Wales, including Flintshire and Conwy, took in only a small number of refugees last year.
Responding to the Statement by the Leader of the House and Chief Whip: ‘Refugee Week - Wales, a Nation of Sanctuary’, Mr Isherwood said some local authorities in Wales took in no refugees last year, and that in North Wales numbers were particularly low in Conwy and Flintshire.
Speaking in the Chamber, he said:
“You say that all of us in the Chamber here should do one simple thing to show our support for refugees and asylum seekers by embracing the concept of Wales as a Nation of Sanctuary. I'm pleased that I ensured that that was in our 2016 Welsh Conservative Manifesto as a commitment and, as you might recall, I sponsored and hosted the Sanctuary in the Senedd event at the back end of 2016 accordingly.”
He added:
“The figures published for refugees resettled in Wales last year show that Merthyr Tydfil and Neath Port Talbot were the only Councils that accepted no refugees, in the figures they provided. Carmarthenshire was highest with 51, and Swansea with 33. In North Wales, Denbighshire had 21, but falling to five in Flintshire and only two in Conwy. So, how are you helping local authorities establish understanding and awareness, and the will to ensure, perhaps, a better distribution, so that the lead established in one part of Wales can be replicated elsewhere?”
Speaking regarding the integration of refugees and asylum seekers, Mr Isherwood referred to the event he hosted in the Assembly, 'Let us Integrate Through Music and Art', put on by the North Wales Association for Multicultural Integration (NWAMI), of which he is Honorary President, and Cwmbran-based KIRAN, ‘Knowledge-based Intercommunity Relationship and Awareness Network’.
He added: “Only two weeks ago, I had a meeting here with the Welsh Refugee Council, the North Wales Association for Multicultural Integration and the charity CAIS, who are working in partnership to break down barriers and increase understanding (by communities) of each other's cultures. So, in terms of supporting the integration message, how are you engaging with these trailblazing organisations that are doing their own bit and increasingly building a joined-up network themselves to deliver that integration message in practice in our communities, on our streets and in our rural areas too across Wales?
In her response, the Leader of the House said “The Member did raise why there is patchy take-up in the stats that he quoted, but, of course, they're not the ongoing stats”.
Speaking outside the Chamber, Mr Isherwood said:
“When considering the Cabinet Secretary’s comment about previous numbers of refugees settled in Wales, it should be borne in mind that Oxfam Cymru described Syrian Refugee resettlement in Wales as “painfully slow” in Summer 2016, at which only nine of Wales’ Councils had taken part. These already included current top performers Carmarthenshire and Swansea, alongside current zero performer Neath Port Talbot, which puts the Cabinet Secretary’s comments into context. Whereas Wrexham and Anglesey were also involved in both sets of figures, it appears that Flintshire and Conwy have some questions to answer.”
ENDS