Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the EU's refugee deal with Turkey, what impact assessment has been made of the impact of that deal on the safety and security of Syrian refugees.

The UK strongly welcomes the plan agreed between the EU and Turkey to end irregular migration from Turkey to the EU. For the first time, we have a plan that breaks the business model of the people smugglers by cutting the link between getting in a boat and getting settlement in Europe. The numbers of migrants arriving on Greek islands has significantly reduced since this deal came into effect and it is making a genuine difference to managing the flows of migration; preventing people from dying in attempting the crossing or putting themselves in the hands of smugglers.

The UK takes the view that Turkey offers sufficient protection, in its law and its practice, to return people there. Turkey is already hosting over 2.7 million Syrian refugees and has granted them access to healthcare, education and the labour market. We are also pleased to note that, since the 18 March EU-Turkey migration deal, Turkey has reached agreements with the European Commission and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in providing them with access to the Düziçi Camp and Kirklareli Removal Centre. The UK continues to work with Turkey to deliver further improvements to their immigration and asylum services.