The public are being invited to give their views on the island’s future policy response for refugees fleeing places of conflict.

This will ‘inform’ the development of an updated refugee policy.

A consultation, which opened this week, is aiming to gather the views of residents on how the island should determine and approach policy on accepting refugees.

It will create a picture of what support and services the public believe should be offered to those fleeing conflict.

The government committed to reviewing and updating the broader policy on refugees by July 2023 following a Tynwald debate in April this year.

It came after the government offered support to those fleeing the invasion of Ukraine.

Cabinet Office Minister Kate-Lord Brennan said: ‘The island has welcomed more than 100 Ukrainian guests since March which is a credit to the successful scheme that was set up quickly and represents a first for the island.

‘We can now learn from this experience, and from the views of the community sought in this consultation, and prepare a broader updated refugee policy for the island that will be ready for debate in Tynwald next July, as required by the Tynwald resolution.

‘There is a case for a longer term appropriate policy and approach which should be set out, debated and confirmed, and the experiences now gained will aid that.’

The consultation will be open until December 13 and will be available to view on the government website.

It may also be downloaded electronically from the consultation hub.

Alternatively, written comments can be emailed to [email protected] or by post to Jasmine Cowin, External Relations, 3rd Floor, Government Office, Buck’s Road, Douglas.