Chamber and committees

You are absolutely right that, sadly, everybody expected at the beginning that the war was going to be short. We have to pay tribute to the resilience and the bravery of the people of Ukraine for the fact that they have defended their country so incredibly well against the illegal Russian invasion—of course, it is the latest invasion, because Russia annexed the Crimea in 2014. I think that everybody’s expectation was that it was going to be a short and temporary situation. We are now in a very different situation. We are approaching a year from the start of the war, which will be a poignant moment. I am happy to talk about some aspects of what we are planning to mark that particularly tricky anniversary for Ukrainians who are in Scotland.

As a result, there has obviously had to be a change in approach, and you have seen that in the way that the supersponsor scheme has been organised. We had a review of the supersponsor scheme when I had to pause it due to the unprecedented demand that was placed on it during the summer months, when it was the only viable route through which to come into the United Kingdom. There were 16 interventions proposed as part of the review, which was led by Professor Linda Bauld. In the very short time since that review was published, we have made significant progress on the majority of those areas, including the £50 million fund to bring forward longer-term accommodation, support for people through the private rented sector and modular accommodation. We are doing a number of things to make the scheme sustainable and durable for the long term.

Sadly, Ukrainians will have to be in Scotland, for their safety, for longer than was anticipated. We will continue to ensure that we are doing everything possible, reflecting on some of the areas that the head of the consul office in Edinburgh, Mr Kuslii, has suggested, and reflecting on work that we are doing with our local authority partners and the third sector.

A number of events, including church services, are planned for that week by the Government, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain. There will be an event in Parliament that will be co-sponsored by me and the Presiding Officer on the Tuesday night. On the Thursday, which is the day before the anniversary, the Scottish Government will lead a debate on the issue. There will be wreath laying and processions, not just here in Edinburgh but across Scotland. There will be a number of events that will, I hope, allow the people who are here from Ukraine to see the solidarity of feeling that exists in Scotland.

I also hope that the events will remind people across Scotland that the war continues. As you say, convener, there are more than 13,000 people who still hold a visa to travel who are yet to travel. We still have people arriving from Ukraine every day, although the scheme has been paused. It is important to ensure that the issue is high in the public’s consciousness and that people are aware that it requires significant intervention and support. Not least, the events are for our friends from Ukraine who are here and who have suffered great trauma. They will still be worried about family members or will have lost family members and they will want to make sure that they mark that event appropriately.

Obviously, we hope that that working group can report as quickly as possible. Support for private rented accommodation is one of the 16 interventions that the review of the supersponsor scheme looked at. There are challenges and high levels of competition in the private rented sector in Scotland already, but it is one avenue of potential long-term accommodation that we are looking at supporting Ukrainians to move into.

Of the 32 local authorities, 18 currently offer some form of support through guarantee schemes for the private rented sector, and we are looking at what more we might be able to do to extend that. As I said, it is part of the review of the supersponsor scheme that Linda Bauld led. We will continue to do that work in concert with my colleague Shona Robison and her housing officials.

That question strikes at the heart of the work that we are doing to try to ensure that people have suitable long-term accommodation to move into from temporary accommodation, whether that is hosted, hotels or on the two ships.

The £50 million fund that the First Minister launched last year has had good take-up so far. Through the projects that have been agreed, close to 750 properties will be brought back into use that could be allocated to Ukrainians. In some cases, they will be dedicated to Ukrainians, but others will also provide legacy accommodation options for domestic homelessness as well. We have a number of applications to that fund in the pipeline from authorities across Scotland.

I would always say that more could be done. I encourage local authorities or owners of buildings that could be repurposed to consider whether something creative, as Mr Ruskell described it, could be done to repurpose those buildings to offer accommodation to respond directly to the situation for Ukrainians and, additionally, to provide legacy accommodation for domestic homelessness.

As Mr Ruskell points out, we are also looking at modular accommodation, and we are not unique in that. The Irish Government already has modular accommodation in use, and the Welsh Government is in the advanced stages of introducing modular accommodation.

We need to look at any and all factors to try to ensure that we are providing appropriate and sustainable accommodation for people arriving from Ukraine. Again, I encourage local authorities, registered social landlords and others to look at empty homes and empty buildings that could be repurposed, and to speak to my colleagues in Government and my officials to see whether a bid can be made for that capital funding to ensure that those properties are brought back into use.

I want to touch on a number of aspects.

First, I reiterate the thanks for, and the appreciation of, the work that is going on in local authorities throughout Scotland to respond. They have had some experience on a smaller scale with the Syrian resettlement work, and resettlement officers throughout Scotland have done an exemplary job in supporting hosts and Ukrainians and ensuring that everything possible is done to facilitate schooling, housing and so on. We have had very close co-operation with individual local authorities directly, as members would expect, and through the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, which we have regular meetings with at the ministerial and senior official levels.

Ms Minto is right about recognising and celebrating the fact that Ukrainians who arrive here bring cultural diversity with them. That is something that we celebrate in Scotland, and we should not take it for granted. We need to ensure that that continues to be appreciated.

Work is done by existing and growing Ukrainian community groups. I mentioned the Edinburgh branch of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain. There is now a Glasgow branch as well. Hannah Beaton-Hawryluk has been recognised with awards, as has the Ukrainian club in Edinburgh. That is deserved, because they are doing fantastic work to support our work to support Ukrainians who have arrived here to continue to celebrate Ukrainian culture.

I would be more than happy to consider any suggestions from Mr Kuslii or others about what more we can do to support that work and ensure that we are providing the support and the warm welcome that people absolutely deserve.

It will be really challenging because, as we have heard—we know that this will potentially happen with the disembarkation from MS Ambition—people could potentially move to different local authority areas. That will be the case in relation to hosted accommodation, temporary accommodation and long-term accommodation.

The issue could be resolved in relatively simple ways. To be fair, I do not think that the block here lies with my ministerial counterparts with responsibility for Ukraine. I think that the Treasury needs to be encouraged to get this issue and the issue of tariff payments to local authorities resolved, so we will continue to do what we can to impress on it the need for that.

I am happy to provide it to the committee, rather than to Ms Boyack alone.

I thank Dr Allan for that question, because it has been an issue for us for coming up to a year in responding to the crisis in Ukraine and the movement of people. The Scottish Refugee Council, which we fund to support us in the arrival support mechanisms—our welcome hubs—is absolutely right. I think that you also received evidence last week from local authorities about the unpredictability of arrivals being one of the greatest challenges, particularly in relation to the peak arrivals period last summer, when we had high numbers of people arriving. There is a complete contrast with the resettlement programmes for those arriving from Afghanistan and Syria.

There is no doubt that there is a challenge, and we have been looking to respond as best we can. For instance, we have had to ensure that we have sufficient temporary accommodation to match the trend of arrivals, which meant that, at some points last year, we had overprovision of temporary accommodation. Sometimes we have been stretched in relation to temporary accommodation, but not having that certainty and correspondence has made it far more difficult for us to plan.

It is difficult and a challenge, but I need to pay tribute to my colleagues in Government, local authority teams and the Scottish Refugee Council, who have been responding admirably to ensure that people are given the appropriate welcome when they arrive. In particular, they have ensured that, as part of that welcome operation, there are people at the welcome desks at the transit points at Edinburgh and Glasgow airports and at train stations to greet folk arriving from Ukraine, with messages and information translated into Ukrainian and a very clear pathway showing where they are heading. As I said in my introduction, we could not have done that without partnership support for the welcome hubs involving local authorities and the SRC. Of course, I am happy to speak to the Scottish Refugee Council or, indeed, Border Force again about how that could be operated in a better way in the future.

Good morning, colleagues, and thank you very much for the opportunity to update you on our work to welcome and support those who are fleeing the illegal war in Ukraine.

More than 8 million people have been displaced from Ukraine. This mass movement of people remains the largest in Europe since world war two. The Scottish Government condemns Russia’s invasion and the crisis that it has created, and we stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Sadly, as is evidenced by the numbers of people who are applying, the Scottish Government’s supersponsor scheme has provided a desperately needed route to safety and sanctuary. Going well beyond our commitment to welcome at least 3,000 people, Scotland has sponsored more than 23,200 arrivals, the majority of which have been through the supersponsor scheme, which is more per head of population than any other part of the United Kingdom.

The scale and pace of this national response is unprecedented and awe inspiring. I would therefore like to recognise the enormous kindness and unwavering support of the Scottish people who have welcomed our friends from Ukraine into their homes and communities, and to thank them for that. Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge the work of our partners—the local authorities and third sector and community groups—thatcontinue to provide that warm Scots welcome.

Responding to a challenge of this scale has required significant resource. This year, the Scottish Government will spend around £200 million on short-term accommodation, support for councils and funding to the third sector. Next year, we will invest a further £70 million to ensure that communities continue to receive help to rebuild their lives. We do not want anyone to spend any longer than is necessary in temporary accommodation. A settled home is clearly the best outcome. I recently launched a new campaign for volunteer hosts, and we continue to work closely with local authorities and registered social landlords to bring forward longer-term housing options. Settled accommodation is just one part of our approach. We continually take steps to improve support to displaced people and to help integration in our communities through access to education, employment support, healthcare and any other services that they may need.

Although I hope that those who wish to return can do so safely in time, the Scottish Government’s message to all those seeking sanctuary remains clear: Scotland is your home for as long as you need it to be.

I have now had the opportunity to meet Mr Kuslii to welcome him to Scotland and to set out the number of areas of intervention by the Scottish Government, local authority partners and others working to support Ukrainians. I hope to be able to visit the MS Ambition in Glasgow with him next week to talk about some of the move-on operations on the ship and to discuss some of the areas that he has raised.

I cannot remember which local authority representative was asked about the issue at the committee last week, but there is confirmation from local authority partners—I can give it again today—that there are support services on board the ships or in hotels, and that advice is readily available to hosts on how people should or can register with doctors and dentists. If there has been a breakdown for some individuals, that is unfortunate. I am looking to ensure that the head of consular services, Mr Kuslii, is aware of the support services that are in place.

You are absolutely right that it would be unacceptable if there was not a clear pathway for people to register with a doctor and so on, but those support services are in place. People are entitled to register with doctors and dentists in the same way as any other Scottish resident, and I am confident that support services are in place to ensure that those pathways are clear.