A Scottish government minister has applied to take Ukrainian refugees into her home under a UK government scheme to offer those fleeing the Russian war a place to live.
Ash Regan, the community safety minister, said she looked forward to “welcoming them in their time of need” after submitting an application to the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
“The war in Ukraine is heartbreaking and I’ve been wanting to take some sort of personal action to support those in crisis,” Regan tweeted.
She is one of three MSPs to confirm they will volunteer to help women and children fleeing the invasion.
Jackie Baillie, the deputy leader of Scottish Labour, will also apply to help refugees. “She has the space so is going to apply and put herself forward,” a source said.
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Maggie Chapman, the Scottish Greens’ human rights spokeswoman and an MSP for North East Scotland, also plans to take part in the scheme announced by Michael Gove, the UK housing secretary, which will allow people to register to have refugees with no ties to Britain stay with them.
Several Scottish Conservative and Liberal Democrat MSPs are also considering whether they can accommodate refugees in their homes.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Scottish Lib Dem leader, who owns an Airbnb cabin, is thinking about applying. However, there is concern that his cabin is “tiny” and does not have suitable cooking facilities. The SNP said: “This would be a personal matter for MSPs and their families and any arrangement would not be made public without the express approval of the Ukrainian families involved.”
The Scottish government told The Daily Telegraph that Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, would be willing to take in a refugee “if needed”, which suggested her decision would depend on the number of people who applied to the scheme. In 2015 Sturgeon said she would be happy to have a Syrian refugee stay in her home.
Yesterday Neil Gray, the Scottish minister with special responsibility for Ukrainian refugees, said the government at Holyrood was looking at “all potential options” to provide accommodation for at least 3,000 Ukrainian refugees. At the weekend, Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, announced that Scotland and Wales were willing to become “super sponsors” for refugees.
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Immigration powers are reserved to Westminster but Gove yesterday told MPs that discussions would continue with the devolved administrations.
Gray said that some Ukrainian refugees might have to enter hotels initially. It was reported last month that 200 Afghan refugees who arrived in September were still in temporary accommodation in Edinburgh.
“We’re going to have to look at all potential options here because although the initial offer is for 3,000 refugees from Scotland, I would expect that number to rise,” Gray told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme.
“The first minister has made clear that there is no cap on the number so we’re going to be looking to utilise all potential options that we have to provide capacity to ensure that we are able to provide sanctuary.”
