Meeting of the Parliament 19 December 2023
I am grateful, Presiding Officer.
I would not deny much of what Mr Brown has said about the challenges that there have been with UK support and ensuring that it is available, particularly to local authorities across the country, in a more sustainable way. However, I am coming on to discuss the fact that we have long-standing structural problems with housing in Scotland, which is compounding the issues with the opportunities and options for local authorities to provide housing more generally to those who come to our shores seeking asylum and refuge.
Although I accept some of those points, the wider one is that much of the money that has been passed down from those funds is not ring fenced. Although I appreciate that the Government would not seek to ring fence funding, it means that local authorities that are already stretched have to spread that money more thinly to ensure that they can provide more housing options across all their estates.
There are significant challenges. We will need to reflect on today’s budget. Initial analysis shows that it includes a 32 per cent reduction on housing spending. We will have to have a serious conversation about that in the broader context that I referred to in reply to Keith Brown’s intervention.
I am conscious of the time and, indeed, the consensual nature of the debate, which I think is vital, so I will conclude my remarks.
Consideration must also be given to education, healthcare and other services that allow people from Ukraine who live here in Scotland to have access to as normal a life as possible.
The Parliament must ensure that we reaffirm our supportive and welcoming attitudes to people who are fleeing war, violence and persecution, that we stand full square with Ukraine against Russian aggression, and that we advance our warm welcome by putting in place all the structures and support that are required to make that a genuinely deliverable outcome.
I move, amendment S6M-1196.1, to insert, after “home and welcome”:
“; applauds ordinary people in Scotland who have worked tirelessly to give Ukrainians fleeing conflict a warm welcome in their own homes; notes with concern that Ukrainians are four times more likely to find themselves facing homelessness than the wider population, and calls on the Scottish Government to ensure that a workable plan is fully implemented to enact long-term strategies to allow Ukrainian refugees to access vital housing, education and healthcare”.
16:51