Cruise ship will house displaced
Yards from the plush restaurants, of Edinburgh’s Leith waterfront, and not far from the Scottish Government HQ, a white cruise ship is docked behind iron fencing and locked security gates.
But the MS Victoria is not waiting to take people on an exotic holiday.
An hour after it arrived on Monday, the Scottish Government said it would be halting plans to be a “super sponsor” for Ukrainians fleeing Putin’s war, and the ship would house up to 2500 people who have yet to find a stable place to stay.
It’s due to be in Leith for six months – but the Scottish Government last night refused to say how much the move will cost.
The sponsorship scheme was Holyrood ministers’ attempt to “circumvent” what they saw as “red tape” from Westminster.
Lib Dem MP Wendy Chamberlain said the announcement of a threemonth pause to the scheme was “an inevitable consequence of a Scottish Government which likes photo calls more than the nittygritty detail required to make its pronouncements practical.
Sarah Boyack, Labour MSP, said those fleeing Ukraine “don’t need warm words or publicity stunts – they need safe, secure housing and access to services”.
At the same time as the Scottish Government’s sponsor scheme, the UK Government has continued to run its own Homes for Ukraine plan, which allows people from anywhere in the UK to volunteer their spare room or empty flat to a family in need and help them apply for a visa.
The Home Office says more than 20,000 visas have been issued for people wanting to come to Scotland under the super sponsor scheme with 5457 people already here. But a chronic shortage of available housing has caused problems and hundreds of Ukrainians are struggling to find longer term homes.
The boat has a nightclub, children’s play areas, restaurants, cafes and shops.
A spokeswoman for Tallink Grupp said another of the firm’s boats has been chartered to the Estonian Government since April.
A Scottish Government spokesman said the “welfare of all displaced Ukrainians staying in Scotland remains our absolute priority” and added: “We do not wish to see displaced people from Ukraine spending more time in temporary accommodation than is absolutely necessary, but it is important to ensure that longer term accommodation is safe, suitable and sustainable.”