Found: It works in partnership with local NGOs in Bosnia, Turkey (with Syrian refugees), Syria and Gaza.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of Syrian refugees in the UK.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office publishes data on asylum and resettlement in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on grants of refugee status and resettlement for Syrian nationals can be found in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relate to the year ending September 2022. Data for the year ending December 2022 will be published on 23 February 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

The Home Office does not hold information on the number of people resettled or granted refugee status who are still living in the UK, or their location within the UK. This is because the Home Office does not track the addresses of those resettled or granted refugee status, and refugees are free to move around the UK or leave.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) British Nationals, and (2) families containing a British National, in refugee camps in north-East Syria have asked to return to the UK; and how many such requests have been (a) accepted, and (b) refused.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are unable to comment on individual cases. We are aware that there are British nationals, including children, in IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps in north east Syria. The FCDO advises against all travel to Syria and there is no consular support available from within Syria, therefore we cannot accurately account for the number of British nationals there.

The UK Government will seek to facilitate the return of British unaccompanied minors and orphans to the UK where feasible, subject to national security concerns, nationality and identity checks and on a case-by-case basis.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to expand the terms of reference of the UK Resettlement Scheme; whether the Scheme is available to (1) British nationals, and (2) the children of British nationals, in detention camps in North-East Syria; and if so, what plans they have to communicate this to such individuals.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The UK is a global leader in resettlement. Since 2015, we have resettled more than 27,000 refugees through safe and legal routes direct from regions of conflict and instability - around half of whom were children.

There are currently no plans to expand the terms of reference of the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS). The UK will continue to work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to receive referrals of vulnerable refugees from across the globe.

Our approach is to resettle refugees in line with the global need identified by UNHCR who will refer individuals in accordance with their standard resettlement categories and policies, based on an assessment of protection needs and vulnerabilities.

British nationals or their dependants would not be referred for resettlement under the UKRS. However, the government does seek to facilitate the return of British orphans and unaccompanied minors from North-East Syria where feasible, subject to national security concerns, and on a case-by-case basis. In line with this policy, the government has already facilitated the return of several orphaned and unaccompanied British children to the UK and will continue to do so.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people likely to be resettled this year under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme; and how that figure compares to (1) 2018, and (2) 2019.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

In December 2020, the UK resumed resettlement following a pause due to the pandemic. On 25 February 2021 the Government met its target of resettling 20,000 refugees who have fled the conflict in Syria through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Since then, the Government has continued to welcome refugees through the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS).

The number of refugees we resettle every year will depend on a variety of factors including local authorities’ capacity for supporting those we resettle and the extent to which Community Sponsorship continues to thrive. This year, the recovery from the pandemic will be a significant factor affecting capacity. We are working closely with our partners to assess the capacity for resettlement in the months ahead and will continue to welcome those in need in the years to come.

The numbers of refugees resettled are published through official statistics at quarterly intervals. The next set of statistics will be published in July and will include the number of people resettled since March. These are available from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals have been resettled under its Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme since the scheme restarted.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

In December 2020, the UK resumed resettlement following a pause due to the pandemic. On 25 February 2021 the Government met its target of resettling 20,000 refugees who have fled the conflict in Syria through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Since then, the Government has continued to welcome refugees through the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS).

The numbers of refugees resettled are published through official statistics at quarterly intervals. The next set of statistics will be published in July and will include the number of people resettled since March. These are available from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release