Uncertainty remains over how the Ukraine sponsorship scheme will work in practice after the minister for refugees was unable to provide answers to crucial questions from MPs.
Richard Harrington, who was appointed refugees minister last week in response to the Russian invasion, was quizzed by the Home Affairs Select Committee on Wednesday about the new Homes for Refugees scheme, which will see members of the public in the UK able to host refugees in their homes.
It emerged during the evidence session that the minister was not yet sure how refugees will be dealt with on arrival, how it would be ensured that they would have access to basic services such as school places and mental health support and how vetting checks on hosts would be carried out.
Mr Harrington also admitted that he could not guarantee that Ukrainians wouldn’t end up in hotel accommodation, where thousands of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers are currently living as they wait for housing.
The scheme, which will open on Friday, will allow Ukrainians with no family links to come to the UK and live in homes offered by members of the public or charities and organisations, with individuals offering their homes offered a monthly payment of £35 and local councils receiving £10,500 per refugee in the first year.
More than 100,000 people have registered their interest in hosting under the scheme via a government website launched on Monday.
Labour MP Clive Betts, who is also vice-president of the Local Government Association (LGA) warned that there could be “problems” if there is a concentration of Ukrainian refugees arriving in areas where “there may already be enormous pressure on things like child mental health, school places”.
“It will simply not be possible to give them the sorts of services they need. Is there going to be any involvement of government with the local authorities to try address that sort of issue before it becomes a real problem?” he asked Mr Harrington.
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The minister responded: “I’m not turning my mind to that yet Clive. It’s a very valid point and don’t think I’m fobbing you off. For the moment we just have to get these people in […] In the end, the local authorities will be a huge part of this.”
Mr Betts expressed “particular concern” about access to service for child refugees arriving under the scheme, asking: “What if there isn’t a school place for them, or mental health support?”
The refugees minister said he too was concerned about this, before adding: “But we’re going to have to find school places and we’re going to have to find extra social workers, and we’re going to have to find whatever it takes.”
Mr Betts responded that he thought this was “probably easier said than done”, to which Mr Harrington said: “I know, but I can’t give you a better answer than that.”
Questions were also asked about the vetting checks for hosts under the scheme and at what point these would be carried out.
Mr Harrington said it “may not be possible” to carry out these checks before refugees arriving, adding: “I’m talking next week, we’re expecting thousands of people to come, but it will be [local councils’] responsibility and particularly where there are vulnerabilities or children, that will take priority.
“But if we started saying we’re going to pre-do it, it’s just not possible, we’d have people stuck in temporary accommodation and held there while a load of bureaucratic - but very important - checks take place.”
Asked whether he could give assurances that Ukrainian refugees would not be placed in hotels, the minister said: “I honestly can’t give you that undertaking. I’d like to. It’s not our intention, but if all else fails it’s our duty to make sure they’ve got a roof over their head and their fed properly.”
The Home Office revealed last month that around 25,000 asylum seekers from a range of nationalities and 12,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan were currently in hotel accommodation, at a cost to the taxpayer of £4.7m per day.
Asked what would happen to refugees on arrival, Mr Harrington said: “We don’t exactly know where they will be arriving . We hope to make sure they have the same kind of welcome centres that we had for the Syrian programme [...] The local authorities will be a key part of that.”
Speaking to The Independent after the evidence session, Mr Betts said he was concerned by some of the minister’s responses, and in particular the responsibility placed on local authorities.
“They’re saying it’s over to you councils. You’re going to do the heavy lifting [...] We know the strain many councils are already under. Using people’s homes is probably a good idea, but what isn’t good is them putting the rest on councils,” he said.
“There’s no support apart from the money, and it’s alright having the money, but if you haven’t got the social workers and school places no amount of money can provide them.”
He called on the government to create a “focal point” where councils can get advice on the scheme, and said he was hopeful that through having further discussions with the minister the plans could be improved.
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
