Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Syrian refugees are expected to resettle in the United Kingdom via the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme in the next three months, the next six months and the next 12 months.
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 whether negotiations are taking place with the government of Eritrea about the number of refugees from that country coming to the European Union and, in particular, to the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Bates
There is an ongoing dialogue on migration related issues between representatives of the UK and Eritrean governments, including a recent meeting with my Hon. Friend, the Immigration and Security Minister (James Brokenshire)and the Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh on 27 November in Rome. This took place in the margins of a conference to launch the new European Union - African Union ‘Khartoum Process’.
The UK is playing an active role in this initiative which is bringing together EU countries and those in the Horn of Africa, including Eritrea, to support dialogue and cooperation to tackle people smuggling and human trafficking in the region. More recently, there has been a visit to Eritrea by a joint delegation of senior Home Office and Foreign Office officials on 9-11 December to discuss a range of migration topics, including the current drivers of irregular migration and ways to mitigate it, asylum and returns, and potential areas for joint co-operation.