War in Ukraine: Scottish Government considering mass refugee reception centres to house 18,000 potential arrivals from Ukraine

The Scottish Government is considering opening mass refugee reception centres to temporarily house those fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The move comes as as the Government prepares for a potential influx of thousands of people who were granted Super Sponsor visas before the scheme was suspended in June.

Government officials are believed to be preparing for a “worst case scenario” – which could see almost 18,000 extra people from Ukraine arrive in Scotland through the Homes for Ukraine visa scheme with the Government as a named sponsor – and is mulling all possible options for temporary housing, including the creation of dormitory-style emergency accommodation in large halls.

This comes as the Government welcomed the arrival of a second cruise ship in Glasgow that has capacity to house 1,700 refugees on a temporary basis. Hundreds of people are already living on a similar ship docked in Leith, Edinburgh.

Refugees from Ukraine are pictured at the Humanitarian Aid Center set up at the Global Expo exhibition hall in Warsaw in July. The makeshift refugee centre was meant to be a temporary solution but many refugees have been there for months.

In countries such as Poland, which saw tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees pour over the border every day in the early days of the war, mass centres were opened in buildings such as leisure centres and sports stadiums. Often families in the centres are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor or in makeshift dormitories with little or no privacy, as a temporary measure.

Until now, the Scottish Government has instead opted to house people in private rooms in hotels or have used social housing – as well as the ship docked in Leith.

However, what refugees minister Neil Gray has termed “exponential growth” in the number of people applying for visas under the Scottish Super Sponsor scheme in early June has seen the Government overwhelmed and the scheme suspended in July for three months while officials deal with a backlog of housing needs.

It emerged earlier this week more than half of the 20,000 Scots who had initially expressed an interest in housing a refugee family in their homes had dropped out of the scheme, leaving many Ukrainians trapped in temporary accommodation.

A SECOND ship has been chartered by the Scottish Government to accommodate displaced Ukrainians in Glasgow. The MS Ambition, which is due to be fully operational by September, will provide 1750 people, who have been approved under the Super Sponsor Scheme, with accommodation.

The Scotsman has learned the option of creating refugee centres is being considered as an emergency measure as part of an overarching review of the Government’s strategy to tackle the refugee influx from Ukraine. The full review, which promises to look at “creative” solutions to long-term housing for Ukrainians, is not due to be published for a number of weeks.

When asked about the Government’s plans for alternatives for temporary shelter for refugees, Mr Gray refused to rule out the possible creation of such centres, but told The Scotsman he hoped to avoid the emergency option.

"We want to avoid that, obviously,” he said. “The whole point of the work that we're doing around temporary accommodation is to provide people with the welcome that they deserve.

"We’re looking to do everything we can to get beyond the situation with temporary accommodation, which is challenging, into a situation that is more sustainable.”

It is understood the Government fears huge numbers of refugees who have been granted a visa under the Home for Refugees scheme, but have not yet arrived in Scotland, could still turn up – and will be in need of somewhere to stay. According to the latest figures published by the Government, 29,992 visas have been approved under the Super Sponsor scheme. However, only 12,390 people are already in Scotland, meaning more than 17,600 could still be yet to arrive.

While many may have applied for a visa and since changed their mind – many refugees have opted to remain in neighbouring countries such as Poland, to allow them to stay close to family members forced to stay behind in Ukraine – it is theoretically possible all valid visa holders could decide to take up the offer of shelter in Scotland.

Scotland has welcomed 15,757 refugees under both the Super Sponsor and individual sponsor scheme – 18 per cent of the total share taken in to the UK.

Data obtained by the Scottish Conservatives under the Freedom of Information Act earlier this month revealed one in five refugees from Ukraine are currently trapped in temporary accommodation in Scotland.

The review will focus attention on spreading refugee families across Scotland, to move as many people as possible out of the Central Belt, where local authorities’ resources are stretched.

Scottish Labour’s spokeswoman for external affairs, Sarah Boyack, said refugees’ experience of arriving to mass centres was “unimaginable”.

She said: “If this is true, it would be a betrayal of those who need our help now. This is unimaginable in terms of people’s privacy and safety, given what they have already been through by the time they arrive in Scotland.

"It exposes the failure of the SNP to make the Super Sponsor scheme work. This cannot be about making promises just to grab a headline. Where’s the forward planning to support people who are desperate for help and have been fleeing [Vladimir] Putin’s invasion for months now?”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton described the possible use of mass centres as “grim”.

He said: "We have got these poor people who have fought their way out of Ukraine with Scotland as the destination in their sights – and I don’t think they would have expected an abandoned gym hall as a place to lay their heads.”

The second cruise ship chartered to house refugee families arrived in Glasgow last night and will welcome its first residents once checks have been carried out.

The MS Ambition, which has 714 cabins, has been chartered for six months and will be located at King George V docks on the River Clyde.

As in Leith, passengers will join and leave the ship via shuttle bus services, which will run 24 hours a day.

Mr Gray said: “The Scottish Government is providing accommodation that is safe and sustainable while people are waiting to be matched to suitable longer-term accommodation. The arrival of the MS Ambition in Glasgow is a key part of that provision, which means we are providing sanctuary to more displaced people per head of population than any other part of the UK.

“We are working closely with the council and other local partners to finalise plans for how the ship will be used, with safeguarding of the people on board being the absolute priority. Now that the MS Ambition has arrived, this work will begin at pace and people will move on board once the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council are satisfied that the necessary preparations, including health and safety checks, have been satisfied.

“We do not want people spending more time in temporary accommodation, such as the cruise ships, for any longer than is absolutely necessary. We continue to take significant action to increase our temporary accommodation capacity as well as boosting our matching system to maximise the number of people who can be placed with volunteer hosts who have completed the necessary safeguarding checks.”

The ship is part of a Government contract worth up to £100 million with Corporate Travel Management (North) Ltd to source and provide travel-related services for displaced people from Ukraine.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: "When I first heard that new refugees were to be housed in a cruise ship, I was immediately concerned about the safety and suitability of this accommodation.

"The operators are doing all they can to make these ships comfortable, but at best this is a short-term fix, not a long-term solution. These boats may be liveable now, but there are real risks of conditions deteriorating as they fill up and winter sets in.”