To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to increase the £10 million allotted to teaching English to Syrian refugees in Britain; and whether they will extend the scope of the programme to include resettled refugees of all origins.
Answered on
24 January 2017
The £10 million funding being rolled out to provide additional ESOL lessons to Syrians on the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement (VPR) scheme is also intended to help those who arrive in the UK under the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement (VCR) scheme which is for children and their families from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. English language tuition also forms part of the support package provided to beneficiaries of the Gateway Protection Programme.
Other adults who are granted refugee status or humanitarian protection become eligible for government skills funding as any other UK resident and are not subject to the normal 3 year qualifying period.