Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local authorities about whether they have capacity to welcome refugees to their area.

We maintain regular dialogue with a variety of resettlement stakeholders, including local authorities, Strategic Migration Partnerships and other support providers. To date, our resettlement schemes have been supported by over 300 local authorities across the UK, and we are extremely grateful for this support.

Additionally, the successful Community Sponsorship Scheme puts in place the Government’s commitment to develop a scheme to allow community groups, charities and faith groups to support refugees directly.

Due to coronavirus (COVID-19) related restrictions and pressures, both overseas and in the UK, it is not currently possible to undertake any refugee resettlement activity. We continue to evaluate how to respond given these restrictions and pressures, but we expect to resume refugee resettlement activity when safe to do so.