Refugees: Syria

(asked on 7th September 2015) - View Source

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will take steps to ensure additional funding is made available to the Northern Ireland Executive to assist the settlement of Syrian refugees in Northern Ireland over the lifetime of this Parliament; and if she will make a statement.


Answered by
Ben Wallace Portrait
Ben Wallace
This question was answered on 14th September 2015

Clearly, the cost of such a major expansion will be significant. The current Syrian resettlement scheme is funded through a mixture of Official Development Assistance and EU funds. It is the Government’s intention that the expansion of the scheme will be funded in the same way, easing the burden on local communities as we meet the moral obligation to play our part in responding to the refugee crisis in Syria.

Under existing arrangements, UK resettlement schemes provide 12 months of funding to limit the impact of new arrivals on local authorities and services and to ensure that new arrivals are properly supported and integrated. Beyond that time refugees are treated in the same way as any other UK resident, with access to the labour market and mainstream benefits. This system works well. However, all arrangements will need to be reviewed over the coming weeks given the increase in numbers to ensure fairness, protect local services and the quality of the care provided to refugees.

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