Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to involve charitable relief organisations in the long-term arrangements for resettling Syrian and other refugees in the United Kingdom.

The plans to resettle refugees, in particular under the expanded Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme announced on 7 September, will be a national effort involving all parts of the UK.

The Prime Minister and First Minister have already exchanged correspondence on the issue and the Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Scotland will work closely with the Scottish administration on the arrangements for resettling refugees, with a Home Office official attending the Scottish refugee taskforce. Further discussions are intended with representatives of the administrations of Wales and Northern Ireland.

We are consulting a range of external partners and charitable organisations on refugee resettlement options and they will need to play a full part in the success of the expanded scheme.