The government of Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland will refuse to accept new applications to house Ukrainian refugees and plans to send those fleeing the Russian invasion to live in disused buildings and on a ferry.
Earlier this year, the government said it would become a “super sponsor” of the resettlement plan, and the prime minister insisted there would be no limit to the number of refugees taken in.
However, he announced Monday morning that there would be a three-month “pause” in the plan due to lack of safe accommodation for Ukrainians.
As part of the emergency measures, the Scottish government has rented a ferry, the M / S Victoria, which will be moored in Leith and will have 739 rooms in which people can stay temporarily.
Two blocks of high-rise towers in Lanarkshire that had been destined for demolition are being re-used. The 200 flats are to be refurbished in the next six weeks at a cost of £ 5 million.
The decision to suspend the program follows that the SNP government said no more of its money should be spent on sending weapons to Ukraine after it reluctantly agreed to provide £ 65 million in support military.
The Welsh government, led by Labor, has also suspended its plan of “super sponsor” for Ukrainian refugees.
“Incredibly difficult decision”
Neil Gray, the SNP minister responsible for the scheme, insisted that Scotland had “stood up in solidarity with the Ukrainians in times of need” and said he was “proud” that it was “offering accommodation safe for most Ukrainians per population per year. the United Kingdom “.
He added: “With a recent decline in people applying for private sponsorship in England and Wales after they have paused their own scheme, the number of applications appointing the Scottish government as a sponsor has increased. considerably in recent weeks.
“For this reason, we have made the incredibly difficult decision to follow Wales in stopping our scheme so that we can continue to offer a high level of support and care to all those who have already received a visa. We will review our position in three months, but of course, if circumstances change during this time, we will advance that date.
“In the meantime, we are taking important steps to increase the capacity of our temporary accommodation and we are also strengthening our comparison system to maximize the number of displaced people placed with volunteer hosts who have completed the necessary safeguards.”
“Decision endangers lives”
The Scottish “super sponsor” scheme allowed Ukrainians to appoint the Scottish government as a sponsor instead of having to be paired with people willing to open their homes.
At the time of the launch of the scheme, Ms Sturgeon attacked the “bureaucracy and bureaucracy” of the UK government and suggested that Conservative ministers lacked humanity in their approach.
Scotland said visa applications listing the Scottish government as a sponsor increased by 21% over the previous week from 5 July, visas issued increased by 27% and arrivals under the scheme of “super sponsor” increased by 20%.
Scotland currently offers sanctuary to more than 7,000 people, two-thirds of whom applied for the “super sponsor” scheme. The Scottish government claimed that this exceeded 3,000 which it “promised to welcome”, but had previously stated that there would be no number limit.
Wendy Chamberlain, the deputy leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said setting aside the plan “would put lives at risk”, adding: “Vladimir Putin will not pause his assault on Ukraine for three months while Neil Gray and colleagues they will solve the bureaucracy.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats have been warning for months that the government’s efforts to secure housing and veterinary guests were sadly inadequate. Local authorities have called for more help.
“This is another example of the Scottish government prioritizing courage over getting the right detail. The people of Scotland have shown great generosity. We now need our government to do its part.”