Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that vulnerability on religious grounds is adequately assessed by his Department when determining resettlement needs.

With regards to resettlement, the UK works according to the humanitarian principles of impartiality and neutrality which means that we do not take into consideration the ethno-religious origins of people requiring assistance as we resettle solely on the basis of needs, identified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

UNHCR is the internationally recognised and mandated agency for dealing with refugees. It has a global presence and 65 years’ experience in handling refugee crises. UNHCR is uniquely placed to help the UK authorities identify and refer vulnerable refugees who would benefit from resettlement in this country.

The seven vulnerability criteria used by the UNHCR are Legal and or Physical Protection Needs; Survivors of Torture and/or Violence; Medical Needs; Women and Girls at Risk; Family Reunification; Children and Adolescents at Risk and Lack of Foreseeable Alternative Durable Solutions. Individuals are not specifically identified for resettlement based on their religion or ethnicity but members of minority communities may well meet one of the other vulnerability criteria set out by UNHCR.

We are working with UNHCR and other partners to intensify their outreach to groups that might otherwise be reluctant to register for fear of stigma or discrimination and unaware of the safe space and options available to them. This includes all religious minorities.