Chamber and committees

Under the current constitutional arrangements in the UK, asylum and immigration is fully reserved to the UK Government and handled by the Home Office.

The UK Government published quarterly immigration statistics here: Immigration statistics, year ending June 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Scottish Government is clear that we do not want to see people spending more time in temporary accommodation than is absolutely necessary.

Our priority is to ensure that people who have already arrived, and 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.

With regards to the matching in Scotland, the Scottish Government will be releasing some data on matching progress in due course.

As the litigation is ongoing, and the costs may be affected by a number of factors, it is not possible to provide an estimate of the total costs, but as mentioned in my previous answer to question S6W-09692 we will publish external costs on a regular basis.

The contract notice with Corporate Travel Management (North) Ltd, was published on 9 August 2022. The contract is to source and provide travel-related services for displaced people from Ukraine including accommodation in hotels and on the M/S Victoria I and M/S Ambition.

The full contract has a value of up to £100 million with a start date of 8 July 2022 and an end date of 12 December 2024.

The new Scottish Government Office in Warsaw will be opened within the lifetime of this Parliament.

The office will be staffed by Civil Servants and Country Based Staff. Civil Servants are appointed to represent Scotland in our international offices by a recruitment panel that includes the posts’ line manager. Appointees can be recruited from existing roles within the Scottish Government or from wider UK Government departments. The Country Based Staff are recruited using the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office recruitment processes in each country.

Costs and staffing levels for the office will be finalised under future Scottish Government Budgets, in line with our priorities and within our budgetary limits.

In the period 1999 to 2007, schemes promoted by Councils under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961, and confirmed by Scottish Ministers, were supported with grant funding. The grant was allocated to approved schemes on a project by project basis and paid to local authorities as those projects progressed. During that period 19 local authorities received funding for 29 flood protection schemes.

In 2008 a number of ring-fenced grants, including the Flood Prevention Grant, were amalgamated into a single General Capital Grant.

In 2012 an arrangement was agreed between Scottish Government and COSLA whereby the flooding component of the General Capital Grant would be distributed to major projects according to an agreed set of eligibility criteria. Applications were sought from local authorities in 2012 and 2014 to cover the period 2012-13 -‎ 2015-16. In 2012 local authorities applied for funding for 8 schemes and 3 were successful. In 2014 local authorities applied for funding for 8 schemes and 4 were successful.

In July 2016 it was agreed by Scottish Ministers and COSLA that from 2016-17 there would be a change in the distribution of funding for flooding. 80% of the available flooding capital grant would be allocated to large-scale projects and distributed according to the prioritisation of flooding schemes and works set out in the 14 Flood Risk Management Strategies which were published by SEPA in December 2015. In 2016 it was decided that 40 flood protection schemes, set out in the Strategies, were eligible for funding under the prioritisation described above. 2 schemes that were also on the prioritised list of schemes were not eligible for any new funding under the criteria agreed between the Scottish Government and COSLA.

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.

The Scottish Government’s priority continues to be ensuring the wellbeing and safety of displaced people from Ukraine. There are extensive procedures in place to ensure the welfare of those temporarily accommodated on the MS Victoria in Leith.

City of Edinburgh Council’s resettlement teams have an ongoing and visible presence on-board the ship, alongside teams from the third sector. Regular drop in clinics and appointment bookings are available daily for all on-board guests held by various partners. Nominated public protection officers on board provide support and are the first point of contact for safeguarding issues arising when local authority professionals are not available.

Weekly meetings are held for all stakeholders and daily meetings are held between Council staff and other agencies on board to address and monitor any concerns arising. Joint Assurance Review (JAR) meetings are held monthly. Additionally, there are regular liaison meetings above and beyond what is in place for those in other temporary accommodation arrangements. Collaboration and open communication lines between the Scottish Government, the City of Edinburgh Council and third sector parties ensures high standards of welfare and care are maintained.

Child trafficking and exploitation is abuse. When there is reason to believe that a child may have been trafficked or exploited an immediate child protection response is required and an inter-agency referral discussion (IRD) should be undertaken. In cases where a child or young person has been subject to any form of exploitation or trafficking their safety and protection is paramount. Child trafficking and exploitation victims must be cared for and supported within the context of Scotland’s child protection system and the national Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) approach.

In September 2021 Scottish Government published the revised National Guidance for Child Protection which includes detailed advice for all practitioners who support children and families on identifying and supporting victims of human trafficking and exploitation, including criminal and sexual exploitation.

The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 required the Lord Advocate to issue instructions regarding the prosecution of persons who are, or appear to be, the victims of trafficking, slavery, servitude or forced or compulsory labour and who have allegedly committed a criminal offence. The instructions set a strong presumption against prosecution of child victims who have committed an offence in the course of, or as a consequence of, being trafficked or exploited.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with operational partners to better understand what child protection procedures are followed in cases of trafficking and exploitation, and ensure that child protection procedures are activated immediately.

The new Scottish Government International Office in Copenhagen operates from within the local British Embassy and is co-located with Scottish Development International.

It comprises three members of staff. Two are employed directly by the Scottish Government, while the third team member is locally employed via the British Embassy.

The two Scottish Government officials are on A-C pay bands. Due to the small number of staff members in this office, we are unable to disclose their specific pay bands as it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018.

The locally employed team member is not on the Scottish Government’s pay bandings and their salary is based on location.

The total budget for the Copenhagen office in Financial Year 2022-2023 is £598,000. This covers staffing, running costs and all activities of the Scottish Government’s office in Copenhagen including a programme of policy, trade and cultural events to promote investment and economic opportunities between Scotland and the Nordic countries.