Question reference: S6W-10456
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 22 August 2022
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Current status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 September 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what targets it has set to move Ukrainian refugees being housed on the cruise ship in Leith to matched homes.
Answer
The Scottish Government is clear that we do not want to see people spending more time in temporary accommodation than is absolutely necessary, including the passenger ships.
Our priority is to ensure that people who have already arrived, or will arrive, from Ukraine, are able to stay in appropriate temporary accommodation and get the right support, then move into safe, sustainable longer term accommodation, rather than focusing on targets that do not take into account the welfare and needs of displaced people. We are working closely with local authorities and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on this work.
Matching is by its nature an intensive process with multiple, often highly sensitive conversations required with both the displaced person and a potential host, with housing and support needs and preferences requiring assessment to ensure guests can secure accommodation suitable for their needs.
Additionally, the Scottish Government has committed £11.2 million to increase capacity of resettlement teams, support refurbishment of properties, help integration and enhance the pace of checks.