Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, when asylum is granted to Eritrean nationals, it is done after consideration of the human rights situation in that country.
Answered by Lord Bates
All asylum claims from Eritrean nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights, and taking into account a wide range of reliable and balanced information on the human rights situation in Eritrea.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the outcomes of the visit to Eritrea by Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Home Office representatives in December 2014.
Answered by Lord Bates
As part of an ongoing dialogue on migration related issues between the UK and Eritrean governments, a joint delegation of senior Home Office and Foreign Office officials visited Eritrea on 9-11 December. The delegation held a number of discussions with government ministers, officials and non-government actors on topics including the current drivers of irregular migration, ways to mitigate it, and voluntary and enforced returns. The meetings were constructive and identified a number of potential areas for joint co-operation, including on returns. We are now considering how best to use the information gathered during the visit to develop our approach to managing migration from Eritrea.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what programme of research they are undertaking on the drivers of migration to support the European Union–Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative.
Answered by Lord Bates
Following its launch at a Ministerial Conference in Rome on 28 November, the Government is working with other EU Member States and African partners to develop the new Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative (the Khartoum Process), which is intended to tackle people smuggling and human trafficking in the Horn of Africa.
Our work under the Khartoum Process to date has drawn upon on a number of sources of information on migration routes in the Horn of Africa and the countries of the region, including information on the drivers of migration. This includes research specifically commissioned or undertaken by HM Government and information provided by its posts in the region. We are also drawing on the broader expertise and information held by other EU partners, and on information provided by international organisations and partner countries in the Horn of Africa.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme in the light of the call by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for 100,000 further humanitarian admission places in 2015 and 2016.
Answered by Lord Bates
When we launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme from January 2014, we wrote to local authorities to invite them to participate. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confident that we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.
With millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict, the Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact and help the most people in need through humanitarian aid in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. We have committed £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis, making the UK the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and this funding is helping to support hundred of thousands of people. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need. However, we recognise that some very vulnerable people cannot be supported effectively in the region, and we launched the VPR scheme to complement our aid by offering protection in the UK to particularly vulnerable individuals and their families, prioritising women and children at risk, those in need of medical care and survivors of violence and torture. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR on this basis. The VPR scheme is therefore based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. However, it was necessary for planning purposes to estimate the scale of potential arrivals under the scheme, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, UNHCR’s capacity and the need to have suitable care and support in place for these very vulnerable individuals as soon as they arrive in the UK.
We believe that substantial aid, actively seeking an end to the crisis and providing protection for some of the most vulnerable people are the most effective ways for the UK to help those displaced by the crisis and their host countries, rather than larger scale resettlement. We therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme, and we made our position clear at the UNHCR pledging conference on 9 December. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what criteria they based their estimate that the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme would support several hundred refugees over three years.
Answered by Lord Bates
When we launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme from January 2014, we wrote to local authorities to invite them to participate. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confident that we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.
With millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict, the Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact and help the most people in need through humanitarian aid in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. We have committed £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis, making the UK the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and this funding is helping to support hundred of thousands of people. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need. However, we recognise that some very vulnerable people cannot be supported effectively in the region, and we launched the VPR scheme to complement our aid by offering protection in the UK to particularly vulnerable individuals and their families, prioritising women and children at risk, those in need of medical care and survivors of violence and torture. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR on this basis. The VPR scheme is therefore based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. However, it was necessary for planning purposes to estimate the scale of potential arrivals under the scheme, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, UNHCR’s capacity and the need to have suitable care and support in place for these very vulnerable individuals as soon as they arrive in the UK.
We believe that substantial aid, actively seeking an end to the crisis and providing protection for some of the most vulnerable people are the most effective ways for the UK to help those displaced by the crisis and their host countries, rather than larger scale resettlement. We therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme, and we made our position clear at the UNHCR pledging conference on 9 December. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to sign up to the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.
Answered by Lord Bates
When we launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme from January 2014, we wrote to local authorities to invite them to participate. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confident that we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.
With millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict, the Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact and help the most people in need through humanitarian aid in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. We have committed £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis, making the UK the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and this funding is helping to support hundred of thousands of people. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need. However, we recognise that some very vulnerable people cannot be supported effectively in the region, and we launched the VPR scheme to complement our aid by offering protection in the UK to particularly vulnerable individuals and their families, prioritising women and children at risk, those in need of medical care and survivors of violence and torture. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR on this basis. The VPR scheme is therefore based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. However, it was necessary for planning purposes to estimate the scale of potential arrivals under the scheme, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, UNHCR’s capacity and the need to have suitable care and support in place for these very vulnerable individuals as soon as they arrive in the UK.
We believe that substantial aid, actively seeking an end to the crisis and providing protection for some of the most vulnerable people are the most effective ways for the UK to help those displaced by the crisis and their host countries, rather than larger scale resettlement. We therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme, and we made our position clear at the UNHCR pledging conference on 9 December. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking regularly to review the number of people offered resettlement places in the United Kingdom under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme to ensure that the scheme is responsive to need.
Answered by Lord Bates
When we launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme from January 2014, we wrote to local authorities to invite them to participate. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confident that we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.
With millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict, the Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact and help the most people in need through humanitarian aid in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. We have committed £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis, making the UK the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and this funding is helping to support hundred of thousands of people. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need. However, we recognise that some very vulnerable people cannot be supported effectively in the region, and we launched the VPR scheme to complement our aid by offering protection in the UK to particularly vulnerable individuals and their families, prioritising women and children at risk, those in need of medical care and survivors of violence and torture. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR on this basis. The VPR scheme is therefore based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. However, it was necessary for planning purposes to estimate the scale of potential arrivals under the scheme, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, UNHCR’s capacity and the need to have suitable care and support in place for these very vulnerable individuals as soon as they arrive in the UK.
We believe that substantial aid, actively seeking an end to the crisis and providing protection for some of the most vulnerable people are the most effective ways for the UK to help those displaced by the crisis and their host countries, rather than larger scale resettlement. We therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme, and we made our position clear at the UNHCR pledging conference on 9 December. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent assessment by Oxfam, Save the Children, the Refugee Council, Amnesty International and other charities about the number of Syrian refugees who could be resettled in the United Kingdom, whether they will consider increasing the number of Syrian refugees through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme is designed to complement our humanitarian aid efforts and is based on need rather than fulfilling a quota; however, we have said we expect the scheme to help several hundred people over three years, and we remain on track to deliver that commitment.
This is in addition to our consideration of asylum claims lodged in the UK under our normal rules. Since the crisis began, we have given sanctuary to more than 3,400 Syrian nationals and their dependants. In addition, the UK has been at the forefront of the international response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, having pledged £700m, making us the second largest bilateral donor.
We strongly believe that we should continue to focus on aid rather than resettlement as the best way for the UK to maximise our impact, and we therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to admit Syrian refugees to the United Kingdom who do not fulfil the requirements of existing family reunification legislation but who have extended family members in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Bates
The process for family members who wish to apply to join a refugee family member in the UK is set out in detail on the Home Office website at https://www.gov.uk/settlement-refugee-or-humanitarian-protection/family-reunion. This includes details of the qualifying criteria and the relevant documentary requirements. The Government will consider the recommendations in the Report as part of the next review of the family reunion policy and application process next year.
Syrian refugees who do not meet the requirements in the Immigration Rules for refugee family reunion may apply under other routes in the Rules, including under Appendix FM, if they have relevant family members in the UK.
The UK also operates the Mandate refugee scheme which provides a resettlement route for individual refugees who have been recognised by UNHCR and have close family ties with the UK. The UK is only able to consider resettlement applications from refugees who have been referred to us by UNHCR.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to ensure that the family reunification process for Syrian refugees is made as simple and flexible as possible, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights report <i>Syrian Refugees in Europe: What Europe can do to Ensure Protection and Solidarity</i>.
Answered by Lord Bates
The process for family members who wish to apply to join a refugee family member in the UK is set out in detail on the Home Office website at https://www.gov.uk/settlement-refugee-or-humanitarian-protection/family-reunion. This includes details of the qualifying criteria and the relevant documentary requirements. The Government will consider the recommendations in the Report as part of the next review of the family reunion policy and application process next year.
Syrian refugees who do not meet the requirements in the Immigration Rules for refugee family reunion may apply under other routes in the Rules, including under Appendix FM, if they have relevant family members in the UK.
The UK also operates the Mandate refugee scheme which provides a resettlement route for individual refugees who have been recognised by UNHCR and have close family ties with the UK. The UK is only able to consider resettlement applications from refugees who have been referred to us by UNHCR.