Thousands of Ukrainian refugees could arrive in the UK next week but checks on accommodation may not be carried out in time, a minister has warned.
Refugee minister Lord Richard Harrington told MPs he expects “thousands of people” to arrive next week under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme, but said it “may not be possible” for all accommodation being offered to be checked first.
Asked about the council checks, Lord Harrington told the Commons Home Affairs Committee on Wednesday: “I mean, I’m talking next week … I’m expecting thousands of people to come but it will be their responsibility and, particularly where there’s a possibility of vulnerability with children, this sort of thing, that would take priority.
“But if we started saying we’re going to pre-view it, it’s just not possible.”
I'm assured the electronic checks that can be done really quickly take place … and then the local authorities will be responsible for the full DBS checks and they will inspect properties and inspect the situations
Asked if he could give assurances that Ukrainian refugees will not be housed in hotels, he replied: “I honestly can’t give you that undertaking. I’d like to but 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 they’re fed properly.”
So far, more than 120,000 British families have registered their interest in opening their doors to Ukrainians fleeing the war.
Those who have expressed interest and found someone to sponsor will be able to apply from Friday, MPs heard.
Councils will get £10,500 per refugee for the first year to help with education, English language support, safeguarding and social care services.
In response to questions over how hosts would be vetted, Lord Harrington said: “The reality is we’re having to do this very quickly.
“I’m assured the electronic checks that can be done really quickly take place … and then the local authorities will be responsible for the full DBS checks and they will inspect properties and inspect the situations.”
Asked if councils will be told before refugees move into their area, Lord Harrington said: “I’m hoping that it will be simultaneous … I can’t quite promise it because we’ve not seen things on this volume in our history.”
Responding to concerns about whether councils already under “enormous pressure” will be able to provide the services needed if there is a “concentration of refugees” in some areas, Lord Harrington accepted it was a “very valid point”.
But he said: “For the moment, we just have to get these people in”.
He added: “We’re going to have to find school places and we’re going to have to find extra social workers.”
Some 5,500 visas have now been granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme and 20,000 applications had been submitted as of 4pm on Tuesday.
Lord Harrington, who took up his post last week, accepted the 49-page visa application form is “too long” and said by Friday it will be simplified and reduced to around 30 pages.
He told MPs: “For two nights running the Home Secretary and I have sat with officials going through the form page by page and really cutting down everything that we possibly can.”
Conservative committee member Tim Loughton said his “head hurt quite a lot” when he studied the application forms, adding: “These forms have got to be … simplified hugely.”
Asked if it was acceptable for the family visa application form to be available only in English, Home Office minister for safe and legal migration Kevin Foster said this was “the quickest way to get it set up”, adding: “Guidance leaflets will be available in detail in Ukrainian plus teams in the region do speak local languages as well, and we’re setting up a military help hub in south east Poland which will again have an ability to support people in applications.”
Mr Foster told the committee the Home Office started planning in January what to do if large numbers of people fled Ukraine in the event of an invasion.
Asked why the department did not consider offering a resettlement programme, he said this was “partly inspired by our experience with Afghanistan” where there have been difficulties finding accommodation for refugees who fled after the Taliban takeover.
The measures put in place are about “controlling flow” but there is no cap on numbers, he added.
