A number of arm-chair experts have sent me their criticisms of the Homes for Ukraine scheme that the Government has launched. This scheme hasn’t just been plucked out of the air, rather it is modelled on a successful scheme that was developed and implemented in Canada for Syrian refugees. We hope it will be equally successful here but there is an element of ‘suck it and see’.
Hosts have to commit to 6 months, some won’t manage to stick it out, some will extend their hospitality well beyond and some won’t. Undoubtedly other hosts will come forward to take up the slack, but in the event of there not being sufficient, then the burden will fall on local authorities to find accommodation. In that eventuality it is worth remembering that there are still 12,000 Afghans accommodated in hotels since last August to find homes for.
Sir Desmond Swayne TD
