This debate is an opportunity for us all to reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and it is a great honour for me to close it on behalf of the Labour Party.

A concrete solution for displaced people from Ukraine in Scotland has been long awaited. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago, the SNP Government promised a warm Scottish welcome for those who had been displaced. As Keith Brown pointed out, Scotland has been able to host 20 per cent of the Ukrainians who have come to the UK. Ordinary Scots and public service providers have pulled out all the stops and given displaced Ukrainians a very warm welcome and vital support. That is not to mention organisations such as the Scottish Refugee Council, which has been working flat out to help the refugees to find housing in the middle of a housing crisis.

We must now support the amazing actions of Scots and local authorities with a solid, long-term solution that allows Ukrainian refugees to have fair access to housing, education and healthcare. That plan must remain in place for all those who might still be to come as Putin’s unlawful war in Ukraine continues.

As the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice pointed out, under the supersponsor scheme, many ordinary Scots stepped up and housed those people who were most in need in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion. As Alex Cole-Hamilton mentioned, that was an excellent scheme, under which many Scots opened their homes to displaced people from Ukraine, but it was not a permanent solution.

We must remember that it was the SNP that temporarily housed Ukrainian refugees in boats in Edinburgh and Glasgow because it had not prepared anywhere else for them to stay.

I am tight for time, but I will take an intervention.

I visited MS Victoria and MS Ambition, where I spoke with Ukrainians and saw the service that they were getting. They are now in temporary accommodation and I am not sure if they are getting the same sort of service as they were. You have mentioned that Edinburgh is struggling with the housing crisis, but every council in Scotland is in the same position. What discussions are you having with councils? It does not look as if the conflict will end soon, so what discussions are you having with councils about long-term housing?

My question is in line with those that my colleagues Donald Cameron and Mark Ruskell have already asked. How do we measure the impact of international offices on trade in comparison with places where we do not have international offices, such as Bangladesh and Brazil? I am thinking of measurable outcomes.

My last question is about the Westminster Government’s current immigration measures. Do you think that those will affect your negotiations with Ukrainians or with any other refugees who want to come to Scotland?

Do you believe that there is a need for the location of the Scottish Government’s international offices to be reviewed?

Kirstin McPhee mentioned the supersponsor scheme. Is that still open?

I note the requirement for a salary of £38,000.

I also express my sorrow at the distressing news of the death of an individual on the Bibby Stockholm earlier today. My prayers are with their family and friends.

Scotland should be a welcoming and safe place for asylum seekers. In the past few years, the UK Tory Government has created a hostile environment for those who come here seeking asylum. As my colleague Paul O’Kane noted, the UK Government is, as we speak, debating an inhumane bill that seeks to ship those seeking asylum in the UK off to a third country. We also have the Illegal Migration Act, which may force many vulnerable asylum seekers into the hands of human traffickers and criminal gangs. That goes hand in hand with the newly announced salary threshold for skilled workers visas, which Alex Cole-Hamilton, John Swinney and others rightly condemned. As Fulton MacGregor said, the UK Government’s hostile legislation has led to the UK being painted as a country that does not welcome those who most need our help.

I have a lot to get through.

That is why Scottish Labour supports the conclusions that were reached by the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee’s inquiry. That inquiry sent a strong message that we should be using the powers within our devolved competence to improve the lives of asylum seekers in Scotland.

Integration is important to that. As Kaukab Stewart said, the Scottish Government must use its devolved powers to ensure that asylum seekers are able to integrate fully into Scottish society. I look forward to the Scottish Government’s plan on how asylum seekers can be included in concessionary travel schemes, which is something that my colleague Paul Sweeney has been working on.

The Illegal Migration Act 2023 can amend the powers and duties of the Scottish ministers to help victims of human trafficking under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015. Miles Briggs commented that asylum seekers are among those who are most vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation.

In October this year, I hosted a round table on the impact that the Illegal Migration Act 2023 may have on human trafficking and how it will interact with the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015. We heard from representatives of the Scottish Refugee Council, JustRight Scotland, Maryhill Integration Network and many more organisations about how the Illegal Migration Act has made life harder for survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery.

Under the act, survivors of trafficking who have received an initial reasonable grounds decision can be removed. Unaccompanied children arriving in Scotland can be subjected to mandatory scientific testing, including MRI scanning, to try to determine their age. If they refuse that, they will be processed as adults. The committee’s investigation makes clear that the Scottish Government can act within its devolved powers to mitigate that impact of the cruel Illegal Migration Act 2023—as it must. We need to concentrate action on that to protect victims of human trafficking and uphold, wherever possible, the right to seek asylum in Scotland.

The latest Home Office data shows that 662 asylum seekers were housed in hotels across 10 Scottish local authorities. In addition, 4,558 asylum seekers were living in dispersal accommodation. We must not forget the Ukrainian refugees hosted on temporary boats because suitable accommodation could not be found for them.

Those are not solutions. Currently, we face a housing crisis. The Scottish Refugee Council has warned that Home Office policies, such as giving people just seven days to leave asylum accommodation, mean that it could be a matter of time before someone dies on the streets due to a lack of housing. Let us be clear: that is not the fault of asylum seekers but is caused by a housing system that is not fit for purpose. The Scottish Government must provide a long-term housing plan. It must act on the conclusion of the inquiry to mitigate the damage of those inhumane Tory policies and ensure that asylum seekers are protected and welcomed in Scotland.