Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what lessons have been learned from the integration of recent Syrian refugees, in particular in relation to the provision of (1) housing, (2) National Insurance numbers, and (3) support in finding employment; whether those lessons are being deployed to ensure effective integration and support for successful non-Syrian asylum seekers; and if so, how.

The ability to plan for the arrival in the UK of those refugees who have been resettled in this country because they are fleeing the conflict in Syria has meant that we are able to provide appropriate support upon arrival. This involves planning for their accommodation and providing caseworker support to access public services, including the service provided by DWP. A pilot to provide bespoke employment support is also in place. Additional funding has been made available by the Home Office and Department for Work and Pensions to provide increased levels of English for Speakers of Other Languages tuition, which will also significantly improve the chances of finding employment. We will evaluate the results of the programme, including the employment pilot, to see what lessons may be learnt.