Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent assessment by Oxfam, Save the Children, the Refugee Council, Amnesty International and other charities about the number of Syrian refugees who could be resettled in the United Kingdom, whether they will consider increasing the number of Syrian refugees through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.

The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme is designed to complement our humanitarian aid efforts and is based on need rather than fulfilling a quota; however, we have said we expect the scheme to help several hundred people over three years, and we remain on track to deliver that commitment.

This is in addition to our consideration of asylum claims lodged in the UK under our normal rules. Since the crisis began, we have given sanctuary to more than 3,400 Syrian nationals and their dependants. In addition, the UK has been at the forefront of the international response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, having pledged £700m, making us the second largest bilateral donor.

We strongly believe that we should continue to focus on aid rather than resettlement as the best way for the UK to maximise our impact, and we therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme.