Minister pledges £100k grants to help reunite refugee families

BMW will recall 312,000 UK vehicles at risk of an electrical fault that has been linked to a fatal crash.

The manufacturer will contact owners of the affected models – BMW 1 Series, 3 Series, Z4 and X1 petrol and diesel models made between March 2007 and August 2011 – in the next three weeks.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said last week BMW had failed to alert UK authorities to 19 cases of electrical faults in one of its models.

Former Gurkha soldier Narayan Gurung, 66, died on Christmas Day 2016 when he crashed his Ford Fiesta into a tree in Hampshire while swerving to avoid a BMW car which had cut out due to an electrical fault, an inquest in Woking, Surrey, reportedly heard. Refugees who flee to Scotland can now apply for grants to help their family settle in the country, even if they are still separated from loved ones.

Equalities Secretary Angela Constance said waiting until a family had been reunited before an application could be made meant that people coming to Scotland were “forced to start their new life in abject poverty”.

The Scottish Government is now providing £100,000 for Family Reunion Crisis Grants, which refugees can apply for ahead of their relatives’ arrival.

The money will help with initial living costs and can help pay for essential items, such as beds, for those arriving under family reunion rules.