Shadow Social Justice Minister and North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has called for statement from the Welsh Government on progress being made to accommodate Ukrainian refugees in Wales.
Questioning the Social Justice Minister in Wednesday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood raised concerns that the Welsh Government is still not listed as a sponsor on the Homes for Ukraine portal, and that some Ukrainian refugees that have arrived in Wales are not able to access the support and services they need.
Speaking in the Senedd Chamber, he said:
“I thank the Minister for ringing me on Monday on the train to brief me on this, and I also note the update issued by the Welsh Government this morning, which states that they ‘continue to work closely with local authorities, the NHS, other public services and the third sector to ensure support is available for people fleeing the conflict and arriving in Wales through the Homes for Ukraine scheme’.
“As you say, the Welsh Government will become a super sponsor under this scheme. On 13th March, the First Ministers of Wales and Scotland sent a joint letter to the UK Government proposing the Welsh and Scottish Governments as the overall ‘super’ sponsors for the schemes in Wales and Scotland. However, although the UK Government launched the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ portal on 18th March, whereby an organisation can be selected as a sponsor, when the option is selected the only listed organisation still is the Scottish Government.
“Although you have stated that the Welsh Government ‘will also be able to sponsor people directly and people arriving via this route will be directed to one of the welcome centres being set up across Wales before going on to medium and longer-term accommodation’, why does the Welsh Government still not appear as a sponsor option on the Homes for Ukraine portal, and can the Minister outline if and when people will be able to select the Welsh Government as a sponsor option on this?
“Further, what support can you provide to people like the Flintshire constituent whose wife went to Poland to bring back her Ukrainian mum—thankfully successfully, and she's now in Flintshire—but who has been told that they can't access the cash card for refugees because of a lack of information and funds, that the £350 rehome scheme doesn't apply to his Mum-in-law, that she can't access pension credit until she has a full visa, which will take two months, and that she can't register with their GP, despite having health issues? I fully appreciate some of those are reserved matters for the UK Government and some are the responsibility of the Welsh Government, but given your overall role as a super sponsor, I'd be grateful for your response.”
The Minister said the Welsh Government is due to become a super sponsor under the UK Government's Homes for Ukraine scheme this Friday.
She added:
“We wanted to make sure we were ready and able and prepared for that, to go live, and that, of course, is going to happen on Friday. But actually, we've been ready over the last weeks, certainly last weekend when the UK Government scheme went live, in case people came to us and needed us. We were ready and we had accommodation available. But the full scheme, as a super sponsor, with all the preparedness that has had to take place, commences on Friday.”
With regards Mr Isherwood’s second point, she said:
“The points you raised are reserved matters, but we can make representations on behalf of you and constituents to the UK Government. Quite a few people are coming through the family visa route. That might be the route, in fact, that your constituent has mentioned. We don't actually know yet—we've asked the Home Office—how many are coming through that route, but I suspect that may be where your constituent has come through. So, it is very valuable to have from Members today some of their experiences in terms of what is happening to them and to their constituents.”