Leading today’s Welsh Conservatives Debate on the “Invasion of Ukraine and supporting Ukrainian refugees”, Shadow Social Justice Minister and North Wales MS Mark Isherwood urged all Members of the Senedd to support his Party’s motion calling for the Welsh Government to publish a long-term plan to support Ukrainian refugees in Wales.
Mr Isherwood thanked the people of Wales “for their kindness, generosity, and determination to support our Ukrainian friends fleeing this terrible conflict”, but stressed that “we can’t become complacent now”.
He said:
“The 24th February 2023 marks the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s illegal and barbaric invasion of its smaller, sovereign neighbour, Ukraine. But this smaller neighbour has the heart of a lion and has roared back, although the impact of ongoing attacks by Russia has been felt hard by the Ukrainian people. All civilised peoples will be horrified that Putin is planning to celebrate this gruesome anniversary by launching another brutal and inhumane offensive. If only the civilised people of Russia could see and hear what horrors Putin and his cronies are perpetrating in their name, as he falsifies the narrative and silences debate in that great Country.”
Mr Isherwood said the latest UK Government figures as at 7th February show that 8,762 Visas had been granted to people from Ukraine who have sponsors in Wales, and that 6,437 Ukrainians had arrived in Wales, 53% sponsored by the Welsh Government and 47% by Welsh Households, adding that there have been additional arrivals under the Ukraine family scheme.
He commended efforts in North Wales to support Ukrainian refugees, but stressed that some are facing problems and said more must be done by the Welsh Government to ensure that they can be properly housed.
He added:
“In her Humanitarian Response Statement yesterday, the Social Justice Minister said that ‘over 1,300 of those Welsh Government has sponsored have now moved into longer term accommodation’. In this context, I will repeat what I stated when responding to the Minister’s Statement yesterday. It is reported that many Ukrainian refugees in Wales have spoken to the media about the difficulties that many of them are having finding and maintaining housing accommodation. For example, Ukrainian refugees who have had to leave their sponsor homes have been told that welcome centres aren’t an option for safe accommodation and that landlords appear reluctant to take on refugee tenants due to concerns over stability of future earnings.
“Responding to the Minister three weeks ago, I also referred to the case of the Mum and daughter who fled fighting in Ukraine but now face homelessness as their Welsh sponsor pulls out, who cannot afford private rent and who fear they could end up on the streets. I further noted that the Irish Government has announced that it will be delivering 700 modular homes for Ukrainian Refugees this year, including 200 accommodating 800 Ukrainian Refugees built by Easter. From 2003, I campaigned with the Housing sector warning the Welsh Government that Wales faced an affordable Housing supply crisis unless urgent action was taken. Regrettably, they ignored us, causing the affordable housing supply crisis in Wales today. The Welsh Government should therefore be considering this modular housing option when it receives its share of the UK Government’s new £150 Million Fund for Ukrainian Housing Support.
“In this context, the Humanitarian Corridor work of Wrexham’s Polish Integration Support Centre following the Russian Invasion of Ukraine includes proposals for the construction of temporary housing. Further, the focus of Berwyn Prison in Wrexham on rehabilitation through work includes the production of Eco-Friendly Modular Housing.
“The Welsh Government’s Ukrainian Humanitarian Response has to a large extent been dependant upon engagement with Third Sector Organisations, including: -
- “Link International”, bringing together community and faith groups and third sector organisations, working with North Wales local authorities in collaboration with other statutory agencies and the Welsh Government;
- Wrexham’s Polish Integration Support Centre, supporting Ukrainian Children, older People, Disabled People and Soldiers;
- The Red Cross, supporting and housing the families of the pupils that Laura Anne Jones and I met in Denbighshire last Friday;
- Rotary Clubs, which have donated over £6m in cash and kind, and given more than 100,000 volunteer hours supporting Ukraine and its people over the last 12 months;
- The response to the Invasion of Ukraine by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales;
- and many more.
“We must thank the people of Wales for their kindness, generosity, and determination to support our Ukrainian friends. The military, financial and humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine by both the UK and Welsh Governments has been vital in supporting the fight against tyranny - but we can’t become complacent now. I therefore call on all Members to support this motion, which ‘calls on the Welsh Government to publish a long-term plan to support Ukrainian refugees in Wales’, ensuring Wales can truly be a Nation of Sanctuary.”