Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Written Statement, HCWS23, published on 3 July 2017, on resettlement, if the Government will take referrals from the UN Relief and Works Agency in order to ensure that people of Palestinian nationality and origin can be included.

The extended scope of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme will make it accessible to the most vulnerable refugees in the Middle East and North Africa region who have fled the Syrian conflict, regardless of their nationality. This may include individuals who are Palestinian and stateless, if they are genuine refugees and cannot seek the protection of their country of origin.

We will continue to rely on UNHCR to identify and refer the most vulnerable refugees but will no longer limit the scheme solely to those with Syrian nationality. We are working out the operational details with our international partners.