Host home vetting ‘virtually negligible’

The vetting of host homes for Ukrainians has been branded as “virtually negligible” as figures showed 2,500 homes are awaiting checks.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-hamilton has urged the Scottish Government to ramp up its efforts to support local authorities with essential housing checks.

Out of the 2,500 Scottish homes awaiting disclosure checks, just 115 have been vetted in the last month, official statistics show.

More than 21,000 Ukrainians have fled to Scotland since the Russian invasion, leading to significant demand on the Scottish Government’s super sponsor scheme, which was paused in July.

Hundreds have been temporarily housed in two large cruise ships, which are docked in Edinburgh and Glasgow due to a shortage of sufficient accommodation.

A total of 2,790 people have been matched into private homes, according to Neil Gray, the minister with special responsibility for Ukrainian refugees.