THE first Ukrainian refugees could begin arriving as early as this weekend if the Home Office signs off on Scotland’s super sponsor scheme, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The First Minister and her Welsh counterpart Mark Drakeford offered earlier this week to take in thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.
However, the FM added the caveat that the Home Office is in charge of issuing the visas, but that the Scottish Government is planning on the expectation that they will.
READ MORE: PMQs: Raab's defence of Boris Johnson Russian links has MPs in stitches - watch the clip
The super sponsor scheme would allow 3000 refugees to come to Scotland immediately, and the Scottish Government also gave the commitment to support at least 10% of the total number of refugees taken into the UK.
The FM gave an update to Holyrood on the planning being put in place by minister Neil Gray, who has special responsibility to coordinate the response.
Sturgeon told the chamber: “Our aim is that our super sponsor route will run in parallel with the first phase of the wider UK scheme.
“That should make it possible, and this is certainly our hope, for the first 3000 displaced Ukrainians to begin arriving in Scotland from as early as this weekend.
“Now, I need to be clear that this is dependent on UK Government agreement; only the Home Office can issue the visas.
“But there is no good reason in my view for this agreement not to be reached. We hope and expect that it will be and crucially this is the basis on which we are now planning.”
The FM said the Scottish Government had a number of priorities, including getting the data needed from the UK Government, contacting those on their way to Scotland, securing short term accommodation for refugees and establishing welcome hubs in partnership with local councils, police, health services and the Scottish Refugee Council (SRC).
She added that the Scottish Government is allocating £15 million to support the response;£11m for local authorities, £2.25m for temporary accommodation and £1.4m to support the SRC.
READ MORE: Home Office 'obstructing Ukraine orphans coming to Scotland'
The FM said: “I think it's important for me to be clear to parliament that the challenges of resettling thousands of displaced and traumatised people in such a short space of time are significant and they should not be underestimated
“Given the sheer pace at which everyone is working, and of course the need to agree operational arrangements with the UK Government, not every question of detail yet has a definite answer.
“Meeting the challenge will require effective and ongoing cooperation between the Scottish and UK Governments and councils with and across the wider public and third sectors and with many other partners and local communities.
“Parliament also has a vital part to play. As MSPs we often gain a unique insight into the quality of support provided on the ground and can be instrumental in making sure problems are identified and quickly addressed.
“But for all the undoubted challenges I am confident that Scotland will live up to our humanitarian obligations.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel