Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support refugees (a) in the UK and (b) elsewhere in Europe.

The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

All those granted refugee status in the UK are given access to the labour market and benefits, and are encouraged to access organisations that can assist with integration.

The Home Office provides integration loans, which are designed to help new refugees to integrate into UK society by offering support towards housing costs, employment and training.

The Government has prioritised supporting refugees in their region of origin and the countries that host them through aid and development funding and is at the forefront of international efforts to end the Syrian crisis.

We have committed to resettling up to 20,000 individuals under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and 3,000 individuals under the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme over the lifetime of this Parliament.

In Europe, the UK is a leading Member State contributing both financial and practical support for refugees through the European Asylum Support Office and bilaterally with countries such as France, Greece, and Italy.

This support includes: resources to assist with processing arrivals; £34 million contribution to Greece’s humanitarian response (enabling provision of essential tents, blankets, and sleeping bags); a £10 million Refugee Children Fund for Europe; £1.5 million for humanitarian and research activities in Italy; and naval support for vessels in distress.

The Government accepted an amendment during the passage of the Immigration Act 2016 to bring a specified number of unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK.

Since 10 October, we have transferred over 300 unaccompanied children to the UK from France.