Written question asked by Lord Acton (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Crawley (Labour) on Thursday, 28 February 2008.

Iraq: Refugees

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:In January (a) how many Iraqi refugees they estimate each day returned from Syria to Iraq; and (b) how many Iraqi refugees they estimate each day left Iraq for Syria.

Answer: According to the immigration officials at the Syrian border the average daily number of those entering Syria from Iraq in the month of January was estimated to be 1,200. It was also estimated that an average of 700 persons in January returned to Iraq from Syria. UNHCR has confirmed that the trends outlined above are correct, though it is difficult to verify whether all persons crossing the borders are in fact refugees and numbers crossing borders changes on a daily basis.

Secondary information