Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the total budget for the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme will be funded by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

The UK is at the forefront of the response to the Syria crisis. UK support is reaching hundreds of thousands of people affected in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. The UK has pledged over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. Spending money in the region builds people’s ability to cope where they are. For most refugees, their first choice is to stay close to home, and to return to Syria.

Through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme, the UK is helping some of the most vulnerable refugees who cannot be supported effectively in the region and whose needs can only be met in countries like the UK. We will resettle up to 20,000 Syrians in need of protection during this Parliament. We are working closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to identify vulnerable Syrians that they deem in need of resettlement, using their established vulnerability criteria.

However, given the scale of displacement in the Middle East and with many millions of people in need, it is essential to provide assistance to those most in need in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever support a comparatively small number of people in need.

Home Office are responsible for the overall programme budget.