Ukrainian refugees begin life on ferry

REFUGEES have begun boarding a ferry controversially being used to house up to 1,700 Ukrainians who have fled the war in their country.

They arrived on the 739-cabin MS Victoria in the Port of Leith, where they will live for up to six months. The ship can house up to 2,200, but SNP ministers will initially limit capacity to less than 1,700.

Fears have been raised about standards on board the ship after the Scottish Government rejected calls for Maritime and Coastguard Agency checks. There are also concerns about the impact on local services in Edinburgh, and school places.

The SNP Government has rented the Estonian ship at an unknown cost after pausing its ‘super sponsor’ scheme due to a lack of appropriate accommodation.

The ferry will house both refugees who had secured a visa before the scheme was halted, and those being ousted from temporary homes across the country. However, the Scottish Government has refused to say if it is providing extra funding for school places, medical care or mental health support.

Some 137 Ukrainian children who arrived in the capital after Russia’s inva

‘Hope they get the support’

sion have already been enrolled into school. However, City of Edinburgh Council has been unable to say whether more places are available in the area for those living on the ferry.

After the first refugees arrived on board, Housing Secretary Shona Robison said: ‘We want to make them as comfortable as possible during their stay.’ Facilities will include restaurants, child play facilities, shops, laundry, cleaning and wi-fi access.

Scottish Conservative local government spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘We can only hope that these people, fleeing a brutal conflict, will get the support they deserve, since it was never going to come from the Nationalists’ disastrous, and now abandoned, super sponsor scheme or their other ill-thought-out boasts.’

City of Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day said he was ‘impressed by the facilities and support available’.