Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to develop new country information for Syria; and when she plans to begin processing (a) asylum claims and (b) settlement cases.

Following the fall of the Assad regime, the Home Office has withdrawn the Country Policy Information Notes and Guidance relating to Syria and has temporarily paused all asylum interviews and decisions. However, we continue to register new claims from Syrians in the UK who wish to claim asylum.

The Country Policy and Information Team (CPIT) are continuing to monitor and review the situation in Syria. CPIT are gathering evidence from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The pause is being kept under constant review and when there is a clear basis upon which to make decisions, we will resume the processing of them.