Constituents contacting me about Amendment 87 to the Immigration Bill will be pleased to learn that the Government has looked again at the revised Lord Dubs amendment and has now accepted it. It will now consult with local authorities before setting out a plan for resettling children from Europe to the UK.
For those critics of the Government’s approach to the migration crisis, it’s important to reemphasise the importance of focusing our support on the most vulnerable people, without taking any action that may inadvertently result in an extremely difficult situation becoming even worse. As I’ve pointed out in previous statements, on both Syria specifically and the migration and refugee crisis in general, the majority of refugees are displaced in the region itself, and it’s still absolutely crucial that our actions do not provide incentives for vulnerable children and families to entrust their lives to the traffickers and risk making the perilous crossing to Europe.
That’s why the Government has established a new resettlement scheme focused on the children at risk in the Middle East and North Africa. This scheme, which is supported by the UNHCR, will protect the most vulnerable children in the region and see up to 3,000 people relocated to the UK over the next four years – the majority of whom will be children if the UNHCR deems it to be in their best interests.
This is in addition to the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme to resettle 20,000 people over the course of this Parliament - over 1,000 of whom have already been resettled and half of whom are children – and the Government’s significant financial contribution to support refugees and families in the region, having already pledged £.2.3 billion in humanitarian aid.
At the same time, we have continued to build on the considerable practical assistance we are already providing to those in Europe. The Department for International Development has committed £46 million to help support refugees and a £10 million fund focused specifically on the needs of children in Europe. This includes supporting reunification with family they may have been separated from and who are in other EU countries including the UK.
Separately, 75 UK experts are being deployed to Greece to support more effective reception screening and processing of newly arrived migrants which will also help identify children and see that they are given appropriate support and care at the earliest opportunity.
As you can see, the Government has already made a significant contribution (more than any other European country) and I believe that the approach set out provides the best way to support our European partners, whilst also focusing on the most vulnerable in the conflict region.
Update - August 2016
I have received the attached letter from Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Tobias Ellwood.