Isle of Man maintains Syrian refugee stance
The Isle of Man will not change its stance on housing Syrian refugees despite a politician's call for island to "step up on the world stage."
Garff MHK Daphne Caine had asked Chief Minister Howard Quayle to reconsider the island's position. Mr Quayle responded by saying the island had "no plans to accept Syrian Refugees". However, he said it would continue to support refugees through the provision of humanitarian aid. In his written response, Mr Quayle revealed the island had pledged £1.5m to "life-saving humanitarian aid" since the conflict began. Mrs Caine said it was "heartening" to know the island had helped thousands of refugees, but that she was "disappointed" it would not accept any as residents. Since committing to help those displaced by the Syria conflict in 2014, the UK's Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme has resettled over 11,000 refugees. In February 2017, a petition signed by more than 1,000 people called for the Isle of Man to take its "fair share" and help up to 25 refugees. Mrs Caine said the Isle of Man was a "really wealthy place in world terms." She said: "I appreciate there are people here struggling and I care about the island's social issues, but the island needs to step up. "There is a lot of support for the island to help, like other communities in Cumbria, the Scottish islands and Northern Ireland." Mr Quayle said the Isle of Man remained "committed to continuing to play its part in the international response". But he said: "The island does not have the legal authority or mechanisms to unilaterally accept refugees." The Chief Minister said the Council of Ministers still felt the island was "not in a position to offer the specialist support required" in line with the views of the previous administration. "We will continue to look for ways to support Syrian, and other refugees in the future through the provision of humanitarian aid."