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Written question asked by Gordon Banks (Labour) on Monday, 5 January 2015, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 8 January 2015 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Thursday, 8 January 2015. A substantive answer was provided by James Brokenshire (Conservative) on Monday, 12 January 2015 on behalf of the Home Office.

Asylum: Syria

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme to ensure that it is responsive to need.

Answer

The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme is designed to complement our humanitarian aid efforts and is based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. The scheme is designed to help particularly vulnerable Syrian refugees
displaced by the Syrian crisis who cannot be supported effectively in the region, particularly survivors of torture and violence, women and children at risk and those in need of medical care. We are working closely with the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict and UNHCR are best placed to ensure that the corresponding referrals are responsive to need.

Of the 90 people granted Humanitarian Protection under the VPR scheme up to the end of September 2014, 23 are Principal Applicants and 67 are dependant family members.

Statistics on arrivals are published through our official statistics at quarterly intervals and no further details on the number of arrivals will be available until the next publication on 26 February, which will include numbers
to the year ending December 2014. These will be available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
219676
Session
2014-15
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Asylum Syria
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk