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The Ukraine Super Sponsor Scheme does not have a legislative underpinning. The legal obligations or responsibilities which flow from it are founded in either other legislative duties or from legitimate expectations based on government statements or policy.

The Ukraine Super Sponsor Scheme does not have a legislative underpinning. The legal obligations or responsibilities which flow from it are founded in either other legislative duties or from legitimate expectations based on government statements or policy.

Offers of grant funding to councils and Registered Social Landlords under the Affordable Housing Supply Programme are not time limited. While the vast majority of affordable housing projects are delivered as planned following approval, any decision to withdraw an offer of grant following approval would only be taken in close consultation with the council or Registered Social Landlord and following determination that this was the best course of action under the circumstances.

Statistics relating to the progress of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme are published quarterly on the Scottish Government website. These statistics relate to the number of approvals, site starts and completions of social and affordable homes, and can be accessed using the following link : https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-for-scotland-new-house-building/ .

A table showing the number of affordable homes approved under the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in each of the last five financial years, broken down by local authority area, has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. Number 64393).

Ministers have not met with universities and colleges to discuss RAAC. Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council officials have met on three occasions to discuss this matter, the last meeting of which was held on 5th July.

We constantly monitor the flow of approvals through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. While council and Registered Social Landlord projects which are seeking grant funding in excess of the relevant affordable housing investment benchmark are subject to a detailed value for money assessment, which can take longer than the streamlined approval process which applies in cases where projects can be delivered with grant funding at or below benchmark, there is no evidence to suggest that this is having a material impact on the speed of programme delivery.

Once approved, we continue to work closely with partners to check that projects are progressing as planned.

The Scottish Government has noted the LGBT Health and Wellbeing’s report and continues to listen to the lived experience of refugees and people seeking asylum in a variety of ways.

The New Scots refugee integration strategy was informed by engagement across Scotland, including refugees and people seeking asylum from the LGBT+ community. The strategy recognises that people seeking safety on the basis of their LGBT+ identity can face particular challenges within the asylum process and as refugees. The strategy seeks to ensure that these issues are understood when developing policy or taking action to support refugees and people seeking asylum living in Scotland. We are committed to working with our partners to refresh the New Scots strategy and more information about engagement will be available in due course.

The report also raises significant concerns relating to asylum accommodation. Asylum is reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes provision of asylum accommodation and support. I hope the Home Office and its contractors will be engaging with LGBT Health and Wellbeing on their report to understand the issues people have experienced.

Scotland has a long history of welcoming people of all nationalities and faiths, including those seeking refuge and asylum from war and persecution. The New Scots refugee integration strategy was informed by engagement across Scotland, including refugees and people seeking asylum from the LGBT+ community. The strategy recognises that people seeking safety on the basis of their LGBT+ identity can face particular challenges within the asylum process and as refugees. We are committed to supporting the integration of asylum seekers and refugees into our communities and working with our partners to refresh the New Scots strategy.

LGBT Health & Wellbeing’s LGBT+ Refugee Project received £277,000 from the Scottish Government’s Investing in Communities Fund from 2019-2023 and an additional £30,000 from the Equality and Human Rights Fund in March 2023.

The recent report from LGBT Health and Wellbeing raises significant concerns relating to asylum accommodation. Asylum is reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes provision of asylum accommodation and support. I hope the Home Office and its contractors will be engaging with LGBT Health and Wellbeing on their report to understand the issues people have experienced.

The Scottish Government delivered this commitment on 12 July 2023 when the enhanced Forestry Grant Scheme support for planting trees around rivers and streams was announced and became operational. The ‘Woodlands for Riparian Benefits’ grant is targeted to areas of land around rivers which has the greatest potential to deliver multiple benefits. Approximately 175,000 hectares are now eligible for enhanced grant support for tree planting where there can be benefits for enhancing biodiversity and reducing river temperatures, diffuse pollution, and flood risk.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting integration of former Hong Kong residents into our communities. We have published a dedicated British National (Overseas) welcome pack, in both English and Cantonese, on our website.

We continue to provide significant levels of funding to a range of organisations supporting the integration of migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum. This includes supporting organisations, such as COSLA, the Scottish Refugee Council and British Red Cross. We aim to ensure that all arrivals to Scotland are welcomed and supported to integrate into Scottish society from day one of arrival. This work will continue.

The Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities currently provides funding to a number of national organisations to provide support to people arriving from Hong Kong across the UK, including Scotland. For 2023-2024 this includes:

Hongkongers in Britain Limited £300,000

Barnardo’s £300,000

Good Neighbour Church £300,000

Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers £170,921

The UK Government set up a network of ‘Hong Kong Welcome Hubs’ across the UK. These are hosted by existing ‘Strategic Migration Partnerships’ (SMPs). There are 12 SMPs across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland . SMPs have a coordinating and supporting role in delivering key national priorities on migration across the UK and play an integral role in the delivery of the Hong Kong UK Welcome Programme and VCSE projects. The Welcome Hub in Scotland is operated by COSLA, and is directly funded by the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities.