Lib Dems: Home vetting for Ukrainian refugees is ‘virtually negligible’

The vetting of host homes for Ukrainians has been branded as “virtually negligible” as figures showed 2,500 homes are awaiting checks.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has urged the Scottish Government to ramp up its efforts to support local authorities with essential housing checks.

Out of the 2,500 Scottish homes awaiting disclosure checks, just 115 have been vetted in the last month, official statistics show.

Hundreds have been temporarily housed in two large cruise ships, which are docked in Edinburgh and Glasgow due to a shortage of sufficient accommodation.

And some 2,790 people have been matched into private homes, according to Neil Gray, the minister with special responsibility for Ukrainian refugees.

The figures also showed that as of November 3, just 3,425 of the 6,040 properties offered as host accommodation through the sponsorship scheme have been vetted – a rise of 115 from the same date in October.

And the number of homes which have completed all disclosure checks for refugees has fallen from 1,675 in October to 1,640 in November. It is thought hosts withdrawing could be the cause.

Almost 200 more Ukrainians have been housed on cruise ships than last month as the figure increased to 2,442, while 4,756 were placed in hotel rooms, a rise of five from October.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “People across Scotland have opened up their arms in a collective gesture of generosity to welcome those fleeing war.

“The Scottish Government need to back up that generosity with the necessary legwork. There are thousands of Scots willing to take people in but progress in vetting hosts is glacial.

“These checks are an important (way) of making sure refugees are comfortable and safe in host accommodation but if progress continues at this virtually negligible rate, many Ukrainians could face years on board a cruise ship or inside a hotel room.

“We should be trying to help people to settle into their new lives in Scotland. Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to do far more to support local authorities so that they can conduct checks, vet homes and match guests.”

Mr Gray said: “I am grateful for the support of Scottish households who have come forward to offer a place in their home for displaced Ukrainians.

“Local authorities are working hard to carry out the necessary checks on host accommodation. There is a natural fluctuation in the number of active hosts as household circumstances change and people withdraw from, and join, the scheme.

“Local authorities are also not always able to access properties to carry out the required checks immediately as this is dependent on the hosts’ availability.”

He continued: “We don’t want anyone spending any more time than necessary in temporary accommodation. The Scottish Government is providing temporary accommodation that is safe and sustainable whilst people are waiting to be matched to suitable longer term accommodation.

“Significant action is underway to boost matching to maximise the number of people who can be placed with volunteer hosts who have completed the necessary safeguarding checks.

“We have also launched a fund with up to £50 million to bring void council and Registered Social Landlord properties into use and to increase available housing supply.

“I am pleased that thanks in large part to our Super Sponsor Scheme, we are now providing sanctuary to more displaced people per head of population than any other part of the UK.

“Since the conflict began, more than 21,500 people with a Scottish sponsor have arrived, representing more than 20% of all UK arrivals.

“Almost 18,000 of these arrivals are through the Scottish Government’s successful Super Sponsor Scheme, who otherwise would have had to find a private sponsor before being able to travel.”