Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local government leaders on the provision of (a) housing and (b) other council assistance for refugees.

My rt. hon. Friend, the Home Secretary and I are leading a Joint Committee – the Ministerial Group on Syrian Refugees – to put in place the necessary arrangements to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees over the course of this Parliament. Representatives from the Local Government Association attended the first meeting of this Group on Friday. Other key partners such as charities and faith institutions will also have the opportunity to contribute.