THE SNP minister responsible for overseeing the Ukrainian resettlement ‘super sponsor’ scheme has admitted that refugees are being sheltered in hotels for “too long”.
Concerns have been raised that due to the nature of the super sponsor scheme, where the Scottish Government acts as sponsor to allow more people to enter Scotland, means that families are facing a wait in temporary accommodation before being matched with hosts.
Speaking exclusively to The Herald last month, UK Refugees Minister Lord Harrington warned that the Scottish Government's super sponsor scheme has left those fleeing war "stuck in hotels".
SNP minister for Ukrainian refugees, Neil Gray, has now admitted that people are being kept in hotels for too long and that action is needed.
READ MORE: UK minister warns SNP's sponsor scheme leaving Ukrainian refugees 'stuck in hotels'
He was asked at Holyrood about the issue by Conservative chief whip, Stephen Kerr.
Mr Kerr asked how many Ukrainians had arrived in Scotland and the number “who have been matched to families in homes”, how many remained in hotels and what the average length of stay for those in temporary accommodation was.
The minister declined to answer the specifics but acknowledged things need to improve.
Mr Gray: “I think it’s fair for me to say that there are people who are currently in hotels in Scotland that have bene there for too long.
“We want to do everything possible, working with our third sector, our local government partners, to ensure that our process of checking the properties, making sure the disclosure checks are carried out that makes the super sponsor scheme the safest – alongside the Welsh scheme – in the UK, happens as quickly as possible.”
Mr Gray also stressed the importance of making sure the national matching service is funded properly and “ensure that we are utilising the expressions of interest that there have been”.
Labour MSP Foysol Choudhury, pointed to evidence given to Holyrood that “hundreds of Ukrainians have been stuck in temporary accommodation for months on end”.
READ MORE: Ukrainian families in Scotland face issues with nurseries and schools
He added: “The Scottish Government must ensure that it knows what success looks like in a super sponsor scheme and how it can iron out those problems in order to avoid further misery.”
Earlier, LibDems MP Jamie Stone called on UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to intervene to resolve the issue with people being stuck in hotels.
The MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross raised the village of Golspie which is set to welcome seven Ukrainian families.
He said: "There is no lack of people in the Highlands volunteering to put up these good people, and they are getting as far as the UK but they seem to be getting blocked in hotels and not getting to the families in the Highlands.
"Could I ask the Home Secretary to talk to the Scottish Government with the view to sorting out this logjam?"
Ms Patel said she would investigate “where the barriers are”.
She added: “The whole point about Homes for Ukraine, and the work across the whole of Government, is that where there are bottlenecks we absolutely must unblock them and ensure a safe passage but also that people are welcomed in the right way and importantly so that they can be settled and their needs are met as soon as they come to our country."
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