Alex Cole-Hamilton

16 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what targets it has set to move Ukrainian refugees being housed on the cruise ship in Leith to matched homes.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government is clear that we do not want to see people spending more time in temporary accommodation than is absolutely necessary, including the passenger ships. Our priority is to ensure that people who have already arrived, or will arrive, from…

16 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how long the current cruise ship being used to house Ukrainian refugees in Leith has been procured for, and at what cost.

Answer · Neil Gray: The contract notice with Corporate Travel Management (North) Ltd, was published on 9 August 2022. The contract is to source and provide travel-related services for displaced people from Ukraine including accommodation in hotels and on the M/S Victoria I and…

16 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which agencies it consulted with regarding the welfare of residents on the cruise ship being used to house Ukrainian refugees in Leith prior to its opening.

Answer · Neil Gray: The welfare of all displaced Ukrainians staying across the country is the Scottish Government’s absolute priority. Before the first guests boarded the M/S Victoria, a full Joint Assurance Review was undertaken with City of Edinburgh Council and other stakehol…

16 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which agencies are responsible for monitoring and inspecting the welfare of people onboard the cruise ship being used to house Ukrainian refugees in Leith.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government’s priority continues to be ensuring the wellbeing and safety of displaced people from Ukraine. There are extensive procedures in place to ensure the welfare of those temporarily accommodated on the MS Victoria in Leith. City of Edinbu…

16 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many rooms on board the cruise ship being used to house Ukrainian refugees in Leith have (a) portholes and (b) no portholes.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government's priority is to provide safe, comfortable accommodation and a wraparound support offer to the displaced people from Ukraine who have arrived in Scotland, and to those who may still arrive. The MS Victoria I has a total of 305 Sea Vie…

11 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of those in Scotland who signed up for the Homes for Ukraine scheme are waiting for guests to move in.

Answer · Neil Gray: Under current arrangements, applications to sponsor or host under the Homes for Ukraine scheme are made to the UK Government, and processed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Home Office. The UK Government published data relating…

11 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of those in Scotland who signed up for the Homes for Ukraine scheme have changed their mind and decided to withdraw from the scheme.

Answer · Neil Gray: Under current arrangements, applications to sponsor or host under the Homes for Ukraine scheme are made to the UK Government, and processed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Home Office. The UK Government regularly publish data …

11 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many referrals have been made to Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland’s Long COVID Support Service since the service was established.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The latest data received by the Scottish Government from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland indicated that as of March 2022, a total of 1,498 referrals were made to the long COVID Support Service since its inception in February 2021.

4 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether any additional funding has been provided to local authorities since 2021 to help them support Afghan refugees and, if this is the case, how much funding has been (a) provided and (b) spent to date.

Answer · Shona Robison: Under current constitutional arrangements in the United Kingdom immigration, including the Afghan resettlement schemes, is fully reserved to the UK Government and is dealt with by the Home Office. Funding to local authorities to help them support Afghan refu…

4 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many Afghan refugees have arrived in Scotland since 2021, and, of those, how many are currently in (i) permanent and (b) temporary accommodation.

Answer · Shona Robison: Under current constitutional arrangements in the United Kingdom immigration, including the Afghan resettlement schemes, are reserved to the UK Government and handled by the Home Office. The UK Government has published statistics on the number of people who h…

4 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many Afghan refugees are currently in (a) permanent and (b) temporary accommodation in Scotland, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Shona Robison: Under current constitutional arrangements in the United Kingdom immigration, including the Afghan resettlement schemes, are reserved to the UK Government and handled by the Home Office. The UK Government has published statistics on the number of people who h…

4 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review its New Scots strategy, which is due to expire in 2022.

Answer · Angus Robertson: The New Scots refugee integration strategy has been developed and is led in partnership by the Scottish Government, COSLA and Scottish Refugee Council. The current strategy was published in 2018. We have committed to refreshing the strategy with our partners …

3 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many excess deaths there were during July 2022, and in the event that there were excess deaths, what plans it has to assess the extent to which they may be related to the heatwave that month.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Weekly data from National Records of Scotland show that there were 498 excess deaths from all causes between 4 July and 31 July 2022 inclusive. This data does not, however, attribute individual deaths to events such as heatwaves. The Scottish Government is c…

3 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has contracted consultancy firm Bain & Co to undertake any work in the last five years and what its position is on whether the company should be barred from tendering for any Scottish Government contracts in the future, in light of the the UK Government's reported decision to …

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government have not awarded a contract to Bain & Co to undertake any work in the last five years. Any decision to prohibit Bain & Co from tendering for a Scottish Government Contract will be considered on a case by case basis under the provisions…

3 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether any Scottish Ministers have ever had meetings with Uber and, if this is the case, what the purpose of any such meetings was, whether any notes were taken at the meetings, and, if this is the case, whether it will place copies of any such notes in the Scottish Parliament Informati…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: There have been no meetings between Scottish Government Ministers and Uber in the current parliamentary term. The former Minister for Transport and Islands, Mr Yousaf, met with Uber on two occasions on 20 April and 10 October 2017. Topics discussed included c…

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05100 by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022, whether it will publish the six-month progress reports for the nine research projects on long COVID. 

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has no plans to publish the six-month progress reports for the nine projects funded through the Chief Scientist Office long-term effects of COVID-19 research call. Interim progress reports are not published as their purpose is to enab…

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Ukrainian refugees in Scotland, who are qualified doctors and have practised in Ukraine, are able to (a) practise in the NHS and (b) receive the NHS rate of pay, and, if this is not the case, what action it can take to make any changes necessary to enable this to happen.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland welcomes doctors of all grades and experience. To practice medicine in Scotland, individuals must be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). For individuals who studied at a medical school outside of the UK …

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the dimensions of the bedrooms are on board the MS Victoria, how long it anticipates that Ukrainian refugees will be housed onboard the ship, and whether it has undertaken any checks to ascertain whether the (a) rooms and (b) ship as a whole are "habitable", following the definition…

Answer · Neil Gray: The M/S Victoria I passenger ship in Edinburgh is currently being used as temporary accommodation for people displaced by the conflict in Ukraine. We are clear that we do not want to see people spending more time in temporary accommodation than is absolutely …

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional training it (a) has offered and (b) plans to offer teachers to help them provide any necessary educational and wellbeing support to pupils coming from Ukraine.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We are actively working with local authorities and partners, including Education Scotland, to support local authorities to identify and meet the additional support needs of pupils arriving from Ukraine. Education Scotland are currently engaging with each loc…

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its timescale for moving Ukrainian refugees from welcome hubs into longer-term accommodation.

Answer · Neil Gray: When displaced people from Ukraine arrive at Scotland’s Ukraine Welcome Hubs, they are given an immediate warm welcome to Scotland and immediate support in a safe and secure space. If those from Ukraine need temporary accommodation they will be placed in a ho…

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether different households are sharing rooms on board the MS Victoria, and what measures are in place to ensure (a) infection control to limit any spread of COVID-19 and other viruses and (b) the safety and security of those living on board the ship.

Answer · Neil Gray: Safeguarding the health of displaced people on the M/S Victoria I passenger ship is our priority, as it is in other temporary accommodation such as hotels. We are closely monitoring the spread of COVID in Scotland and we are liaising closely with Public Healt…

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) plans it has and (b) additional funding it has allocated to ensure that Ukrainian refugees living in rural areas are able to access affordable travel in order to attend, for example, medical appointments, religious services and job interviews.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10148 on 7 September 2022 as to the travel support available to displaced people from Ukraine. I am aware of the importance of bus services to everyone living in rural areas and am committed, in conjunction wi…

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Ukrainian refugees will have access to free NHS dental treatment.

Answer · Maree Todd: All Ukrainian refugees living in Scotland are entitled to access free NHS dental care. The Scottish Government has issued guidance to Health Boards explaining this policy, a copy of which can be found at: https://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/publications/nhs-scotlan…

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) assessments it undertook and (b) preparations it made regarding the accommodation of refugees coming from Ukraine, prior to opening the Super Sponsor scheme.

Answer · Neil Gray: Due to the urgent need to respond to a humanitarian crisis, the Scottish Government undertook rapid engagement with relevant organisations prior to and immediately after taking the decision to support displaced persons from Ukraine. To address stakeholder co…

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish government whether it has taken action to ensure timely access to COVID-19 vaccination for any Ukrainian refugee who wishes to be vaccinated.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has issued guidance to Health Boards setting out our expectation that Ukrainian refugees in Scotland will have access to all primary health care services along with vaccinations including those for COVID-19.  

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements it is currently making to prepare to welcome any further refugees arriving from Ukraine in the coming weeks and months.

Answer · Neil Gray: Scottish Governments priority is to ensure that displaced people who are already here, and those who have applied and are granted permission to travel, are able to stay in appropriate temporary accommodation and get the right support ahead of moving into safe…

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish government whether it plans to increase the support available to local authorities for (a) conducting disclosure checks and (b) vetting accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government has made available £11.2 million in funding to help local authorities increase their teams to help people with temporary resettlement into communities across Scotland, and also to invest in making improvements to housing stock so that …

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update regarding the planned date for the reopening of the Super Sponsor scheme.

Answer · Neil Gray: When displaced people from Ukraine arrive at Scotland’s Ukraine Welcome Hubs, they are given an immediate warm welcome to Scotland and immediate support in a safe and secure space. If those from Ukraine need temporary accommodation they will be placed in a ho…

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many people, who signed up to the Homes for Ukraine scheme, are still waiting to be vetted.

Answer · Neil Gray: All 32 Scottish local authorities are working to conduct the necessary person and property checks for volunteers in Scotland who, having signed up initially for the UK Government scheme, have continued to express interest in hosting displaced people. Once che…

1 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered a community-based model for hosting refugees from Ukraine.

Answer · Neil Gray: It has been heart-warming to see the groundswell of support from our communities, pubic services, third sector and partners for people fleeing Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. We have worked closely and collaboratively with partners to stand up our Warm …