Responding to yesterday’s Statement by the Social Justice Minister on Refugee Week 2003 (June 19th to June 25th), North Wales MS Mark Isherwood, who Shadows the Minister, again raised local concerns over plans to house 400 single male asylum seekers in the former Northop Hall Country House Hotel.
Speaking in the Senedd Chamber, Mr Isherwood, who last month told the Minister of residents’ fears over the plans, which are at the pre-application consultation stage, has this week questioned the Minister over her engagement with the proposals.
He said:
“Responding to you on 9th May, I referred to concerns raised by residents of Northop Hall, Flintshire, over plans to house 400 single male asylum seekers in the former Northop Hall Country House Hotel, where the Chair of Northop Hall Community Council had stated: '400 single males will increase the total population of the village by 25 per cent. I can't believe there will not be a drain on community facilities which are already over extended. With only three bus services in the village daily, people would have nowhere to go’.
“In your response, you stated that, although the Welsh Government is not responsible 'for the procurement and provision of accommodation for those who are dispersed to Wales', this will have to go through the planning process in Wales, and you were in dialogue with the UK Government regarding the dignity and respect that should be accorded to asylum seekers fleeing war and persecution.
“Later this month, at their request, I'll be meeting the Northop Hall Village Action Group, for them to brief me on what is being proposed for their village, and on their concerns about inadequate infrastructure and that this is the wrong place for asylum seekers to be placed while they're being screened. So, what message would you like me to give them regarding your engagement with this, as the Minister here?”
In her response, the Minister stated “I think it's really important we don't comment on specific sites proposed for asylum accommodation” and “we won't comment on matters relating to planning”.
Mr Isherwood also referred to “the great work Mold Jobcentre Plus were doing supporting Ukrainians keen to work and contribute” and asked the Minister to provide an update on English for Speakers of Other Languages courses—ESOL—and on the transferability of their qualifications to Wales.
He also referred to the £150 million fund to help Ukrainians into their own homes that has been formally announced by the UK Government, including £8 million for Wales, and asked the Minister to “confirm how this will be allocated and whether it will be distributed via the Welsh Government and/or to Councils to help Ukrainian families into private rented accommodation and find work, as in England”.
Mr Isherwood noted that “the theme of Refugee Week 2023 is compassion, chosen in the belief that ‘together we can create a shared understanding of compassion to ensure we are extending it widely to all’, and concluded “With 22nd June marking 75 years since HMT Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury, let us therefore remember that their arrival marked a seminal moment in Britain's history and has come to stand for the rich diversity of the UK family of nations”.
ENDS
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