Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether unaccompanied Syrian refugee children now in continental Europe are eligible for the vulnerable person resettlement scheme; and if not, why not.

The Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) offers a safe and le-gal route to the UK, prioritising the most vulnerable refugees from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This means those currently in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. The Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme (VCRS) resettles ‘at-risk’ refugee children and their families from the region.

Resettlement is one part of the UK’s response to the refugee crisis and is complemented by the UK’s significant humanitarian aid programme and dip-lomatic efforts to end the Syrian conflict. We believe this approach is the best way to ensure that the UK’s help has the greatest impact for the majority of refugees who remain in the region and their host countries, whilst recognising that for some vulnerable people the only solution is to bring them to countries like the UK.

In addition, the Government has committed to relocate 480 unaccompanied children from Europe to the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016. Over 220 have already been relocated to the UK and we are working closely with France, Greece and Italy to fill the remaining places as soon as possible