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Refugee resettlement discussed with representatives from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

29 January 2020

The EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee takes evidence on refugee resettlement from local authorities in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London.

Witnesses

Wednesday 29 January 2020, Committee Room 3, Palace of Westminster

At 10.40am

  • Cllr Jim Gifford, Leader of the Council, Aberdeenshire Council
  • Cllr Susan Elsmore, Cabinet Member for Social Care, Health and Well-being, Cardiff Council
  • Mr Ian Snowden, Chief Executive of Land & Property Services, Department of Finance (NI)

At 11.30am

  • David Simmonds CBE MP, Chair of the Asylum, Refugee and Migration Task Group, Local Government Association

Background

This is the second evidence session following on from the Sub-Committee's recent report on Brexit: refugee protection and asylum policy. The first session with English councils and Strategic Migration Partnerships took place on 30 October 2019.

This session will focus on the work local authorities and the devolved administrations are doing to resettle refugees in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London. Under the Vulnerable Person and Vulnerable Children's Resettlement Schemes the Government committed to providing sanctuary to 23,000 refugees by 2020. Responsibility for supporting these refugees, and managing housing availability and integration, rests with the local authority.

Possible questions

Topics likely to be covered across both sessions include:

  • How is refugee resettlement managed in your areas?
  • How have local communities responded to the resettlement of refugees?
  • What are the key factors that support successful integration for resettled refugees?
  • What have been the main challenges in delivering your refugee resettlement programmes?
  • How do you manage the provision of good quality and secure accommodation for refugee families alongside local housing needs?
  • A new global resettlement scheme, to consolidate the two previous schemes, is due to start later in 2020. Will it meet its objectives?

Further information

Image: PA