, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice
Thank you very much for the question. The Deputy Minister for Climate Change has agreed the extension of the welcome ticket scheme for refugees until March 2023. A working group has been established to take forward a programme of work for the free transport…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Diolch yn fawr.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
And DHP.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Yes, we could share the letter that the Minister for Climate Change and I wrote to the UK Government about local housing allowances.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
These are questions that we have been discussing together this morning. It's a huge challenge. We've had to take money out of our reserves to meet the challenge of the Ukrainian response here in Wales. It's also important that we're investing more that £197…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Diolch yn fawr, Mabon. This is something that I did touch on at the start of questions this afternoon, because I reflected on some points after some questions on the statement that I made on Tuesday, which you will have heard—that, actually, we are responding…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
I will pass to Emma, but, absolutely—. I don't know if you would have heard earlier on, Mabon, that all of these developments—this is under the transitional capital programme—are very much geared to meeting everyone in housing need, which can include homeless…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Perhaps if I could just add, Mabon, that one of the opportunities here with the modular building is that we know exactly what you're going to get; you know how quickly it can be done once it's procured; and we know that it can provide a really good, safe…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Emma is key to this, because she's managing the scheme. So, I'll hand over to Emma.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Well, we obviously await to hear whether the UK Government is going to uplift the 'thank you' payment, Jayne, to at least £500. We did agree, yes, it's for those who are on the family scheme that we would commit to matching that £350, and I think we'd want to…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
I have given quite a lot of detail in the written evidence about the organisations that we're supporting and how, over the past few months, we've responded to bids and applications, and third sector organisations who are in this field, like Housing Justice…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Well, we will certainly—. We're in contact, us and the UK Government, with all the hosts, and I think you'll be aware that there was a public survey done by the Office for National Statistics for Homes for Ukraine, and the UK Government initiated that, which…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
I don't know how many of you have—. I'm sure you have had events or been to events where Ukrainian refugee guests have come together. Many of them have formed WhatsApp groups, and there's a lot of support between the families, the guests. Language, obviously…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Well, I think we are recording—it's back to that Ukraine data platform, but perhaps you haven't had evidence of that before. That's something that we set up with local authorities and our contact centre in order to ensure that we did have that information…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
On the safeguarding, there's very detailed guidance about this. It was published back in August, on 8 August, when this scheme was announced. So, it is very detailed. It is separate guidance from the supersponsor route, because obviously the circumstances of…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Thank you very much, Jayne. Good morning. This is something that was a great breakthrough, and I have to say Richard Harrington was key to this when the UK Government changed the Homes for Ukraine eligibility rules to provide a route for unaccompanied…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Thank you very much. They are interrelated questions, as you say, Sam. We've worked very closely with the local authorities from day one—the team Wales approach. What's been very interesting is that we had such close working relationships through the pandemic…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
We do provide quite a bit of finance through the housing prevention route. I think that, in a sense, through what Emma's just been telling us about, the capital route, which is getting our own sources of accommodation, but also in terms of the way local…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
I think the committee will be very aware of the challenges with the private rented sector market, long-term, but particularly challenging at the moment, just in terms of supply and affordability. This is, again, a conversation I have with our colleagues in…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
We've touched on this a lot already, haven't we, Altaf? The move on to quality accommodation, which could be transitional as well as, obviously, ultimately, longer term, is very much under the Minister for Climate Change, Julie James, and Emma, as the…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Perhaps I could just add also that we've had a very good partnership with Airbnb and Housing Justice Cymru, which is the organisation we fund to help if there is a breakdown. So, I think they are prepared to provide up to 30 days' accommodation. So, that…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Yes, I think I absolutely can assure you of that, and our objective from the outset is that none of our supersponsor guests should become homeless. So, that's it. We're working to make sure that—. The supersponsor scheme, of course, we know them all; they're…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Yes.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
Yes, it's worked well, but people do need more support, that's why the 'thank you' payment needs to be—. And also, I'll just say, and I think I gave this information in a written statement, we have done a lot. As well as our supersponsor scheme, we're helping…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Housing Ukrainian refugees - evidence session with the Minister for Social Justice
—but the majority want to extend.
