Meeting of the Parliament 08 September 2016
The result of the division is: For 84, Against 33, Abstentions 0.
Motion, as amended, agreed to,
That the Parliament welcomes the 1,000 Syrian refugees who have been received by local authorities across Scotland under the UK Government’s Syrian Resettlement Programme since October 2015; commends the work of Scottish Government partners, including the Scottish Refugee Council, COSLA and particularly local authorities that have responded quickly to this humanitarian crisis; thanks the volunteers, third sector organisations and local communities that are welcoming and supporting refugees as they settle and begin to rebuild their lives; acknowledges the strong cross-party support shown at and since the First Minister’s Refugee Summit on 4 September 2015 for Scotland’s commitment to welcome refugees and play its part by taking a fair and proportionate share of the total number of refugees received by the UK; continues to urge the UK Government to do more, particularly to progress the transfer of unaccompanied child refugees under the Immigration Act 2016, and to coordinate with international partners, including Scotland’s EU neighbours, to improve the situation of refugees in Europe; celebrates and encourages the warmth of welcome and strong solidarity with refugees that has been demonstrated across Scotland; supports the ‘New Scots’ approach of providing access to public services for all people seeking or granted refugee protection regardless of status; believes that the delivery and management of asylum support, accommodation and advice should be devolved to Scotland, and calls on the UK Government to support the creation of safe and legal routes for refugees to reach the EU and seek asylum without embarking on a dangerous and costly journey.