Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government (1) whether the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme will be expanded and (2) why so few vulnerable Syrians have been relocated to date.

An expansion to the Syrian Vulnerable Persons' Scheme has been announced. Her Majesty's Government now intends to resettle 20,000 Syrians in need of protection during this Parliament.

The Scheme is based on need, prioritising those who cannot be supported effectively in their region of origin: women and children at risk, people in severe need of medical care and survivors of torture and violence. We work closely with the UNHCR to identify cases that they deem to be in need of resettlement and we will continue this work to ensure even greater numbers are identified and provided with refuge in the UK. Individuals admitted under the Scheme to date are in addition to nearly 5,000 Syrian nationals who have been granted asylum in the UK since the crisis there began.