§ Ann McKechinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what schemes his Department(a) has in place and (b) plans to put in place to assist refugees living in Scotland find employment. [71724]
§ Beverley HughesThe National Refugee Integration Forum, which consists of representatives from Government departments, local authorities, the voluntary sector and refugees themselves, oversees the development of the overall integration strategy for refugees across the United Kingdom (UK). Access to employment is a key to enabling refugees to achieve their full potential in the UK. The Forum has established an Employment sub group to look specifically at the barriers to work that refugees face, and how these barriers can be removed.
Amongst measures examined so far are the provision of appropriate English language training, provision of information about the UK labour market, and raising awareness amongst potential employers of the skills and qualifications that refugees bring with them to the UK.
The National Forum has also assisted in the establishment of a Scottish Refugee Integration Forum, chaired by the Minister of Social Justice Margaret Curran MSP, to look at the issues facing those refugees who have settled in Scotland. Mirroring the National Forum, the Scottish Forum has also established a satellite group to consider the barriers to employment from a Scottish perspective.
The Home Office also funds a number of refugee integration initiatives in Scotland through the Refugee Integration Challenge Fund and the European Refugee Fund. These are:
Glasgow ESOL Forum (£26,000): A project to train ESOL tutors for refugees, rent premises and obtain teaching materialsYMCA, Glasgow (£42,779): The project aims to assist asylum seekers whose applications for asylum or exceptional leave to remain are granted, by assisting with access to accommodation, providing training in English and in the life skills cultural and other aspects of life in Scotland.Scottish Refugee Council (£50,579): To establish Refugee Community Organisations (RCO's) in Scotland that support refugees integration into the surrounding community and assisting refugees to set up their own RCOs.