Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support available for refugees following earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are closely monitoring events in Turkey and are coordinating with the Turkish authorities, the UN and NGO partners to ensure aid reaches those most in need, including minority communities and refugees in Turkey, and displaced persons in Syria. The UN-brokered agreement to open additional border crossings into northwest Syria for an initial period of three months is crucial to reaching the many displaced there. Even before the 6 February earthquake, the UN assessed 15.3 million Syrians required humanitarian assistance. For this reason, the UK has committed £3.8 billion in humanitarian aid to the Syria crisis since 2012. This includes £2.1 billion to support the over 5.5 million refugees in the region, including 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, and their host communities. The UK remains committed to continuing to provide support for both Turkish host communities and Syrian refugees in response to the sustained pressures they face.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of refugees who have entered Lebanon as a result of conflict in Syria.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) provides authoritative assessments on displacement. It estimates there are over 6.6 million Syrian refugees worldwide, of which 5.5 million are hosted in countries near Syria, notably Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. The Lebanese Government estimates there are 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The Lebanese Government instructed UNHCR to suspend the new registration of refugees at the beginning of 2015 and we have urged the Lebanese government to enable refugee registration by UNHCR to resume. Accurate registration of refugees facilitates international support and is in everyone's interest.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Home Office:
To the Secretary of State for the Home Office, if she will publish a copy of her Department's questionnaire to be completed by refugees from (a) Afghanistan, (b) Eritrea, (c) Libya, (d) Syria and (e) Yemen as an alternative to being interviewed.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There are no plans to publish the questionnaire at this time; instead, it will be sent to eligible claimants from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya Syria and Yemen
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to increase his Department's funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are longstanding supporters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). We recognise that UNRWA needs to be on a more secure financial footing to ensure that Palestinian refugees' basic needs are met. To that end, the UK is working with UNRWA and other donors to help ensure its sustainability. In the financial year 2022/2023, the UK provided UNRWA with £18.7 million, including £13 million for UNRWA's programme budget for spend in OPTs, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria; £2 million for work in Gaza and £3.7 million for food assistance - both under UNRWA's OPTs emergency appeal. Decisions on funding for FY 23/24 have not yet been finalised.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of funding provided by his Department to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are longstanding supporters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). We recognise that UNRWA needs to be on a more secure financial footing to ensure that Palestinian refugees' basic needs are met. To that end, the UK is working with UNRWA and other donors to help ensure its sustainability. In the financial year 2022/2023, the UK provided UNRWA with £18.7 million, including £13 million for UNRWA's programme budget for spend in OPTs, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria; £2 million for work in Gaza and £3.7 million for food assistance - both under UNRWA's OPTs emergency appeal. Decisions on funding for FY 23/24 have not yet been finalised.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of Syrian refugees who have yet to return to Syria.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, provides authoritative assessments on displacement. It estimates there are over 6.6 million Syrian refugees worldwide, of which 5.5 million are hosted in countries near Syria, notably Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
The UK is grateful for the role refugee-hosting countries play. We will continue to provide support to displaced population, including in response to the 6 February earthquake, which has affected Syrians in both Turkey and Syria itself. We urge the Asad regime to engage meaningfully with the UN-facilitated political process in order to achieve conditions suitable for safe refugee returns.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
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.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral statement by the Prime Minister of 13 December 2022 on Illegal Immigration, Official Report, column 885, whether safe and legal routes to claim asylum (a) are available and (b) will be available after 1 March 2023 to people who are not from Ukraine, Afghanistan or Syria.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK, like most other countries, does not accept asylum claims from abroad. Individuals should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.
The UK will continue to welcome refugees from across the world through existing safe and legal resettlement routes. These include the existing global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, other than for asylum seekers from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, what are the safe and legal routes into the UK for those seeking asylum.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people fleeing war and persecution. Whilst we sympathise with people in many difficult situations around the world, we are not bound to consider asylum claims from the very large numbers of people overseas who might like to come here. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach as that is the fastest route to safety.
In addition to dedicated resettlement schemes for Syria, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine, the UK welcomes refugees and people in need of protection through the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, Family Reunion, and Mandate Resettlement Schemes. These are global routes which have allowed thousands of people fleeing war and persecution to rebuild their lives in the UK.