 The second agenda item is to take evidence on our on-going consideration of Scotland's humanitarian response to the crisis in Ukraine. We are joined this morning by Neil Gray, the Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, and the Minister for Special i'r bwysig ar gyfer ngosgawr. Hynny cyfleidwch i'r oedryhau gyllidon ni, Cyfrifon, yn Gwenllia Clif, ddach chi'n edrych ar gefnogi. Felly, gan rwy'n meddwl, rwyf wedi cael ei ffordd, mwy'n meddwl i'r cyfrifon gyfer gynhyrchi ymwiliaeth cyfrifon, ond hefyd wedi cyfrifon, ac mae Gwyrraedd Biller Cymru yn έllag eu cyfrifon gyda'r cyfrifon, ond hefyd iddyn nhw wedi gael efall�wn. The opportunity to update you on our work to welcome and support those fleeing the illegal war in Ukraine. More than eight million people have been displaced from Ukraine. This mass movement of people remains the largest in Europe since World War II. The Scottish Government condemns Russia's invasion on behalf of the people and the crazy crisis that such a people have created, and we stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. gyda chthenalau, Y Scottish Government's Super Sponsor scheme has provided a desperately needed route to safety and sanctuary. Going well beyond our commitment to well-commit at least 3000 people, Scotland has sponsored more than 23,200 arrivals. The majority of which, through the Spanish Super Sponsor scheme, which is more per head of population than any other part of the UK. The scale and pace of this national response is unprecedented and awe-inspiring. I would therefore like to recognise and thank and recognise the enormous kindness and unwavering support of the Scottish people who have welcomed our friends from Ukraine into their homes and communities. Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge the work of our partners, local authorities, the third sector community groups who continue to provide that warm Scots welcome. Responding to a challenge of this scale has required significant resource. This year, the Scottish Government will spend around £200 million in short-term accommodation support for councils and funding to the third sector. Next year, we will invest a further £70 million to ensure that communities continue to receive help to rebuild their lives. We do not want anyone to spend any longer than necessary in temporary accommodation. A settled home is clearly the best outcome. I recently launched a new campaign for volunteer hosts and we continue to work closely with local authorities and registered social landlords to bring forward longer-term housing options. Settled accommodation is just one part of our approach. We continually take steps to improve support to displaced people and help integration in our communities, to access education, employment support, healthcare and any other services that they may need. To conclude, while I hope that those who wish to return can do so safely in time, the Scottish Government's message to all those seeking sanctuary remains clear that Scotland is your home for as long as you need it to be. I could open by asking a question about the length of time that this is now taking in terms of what the expectation was at the very start, that this would be a temporary and short term support for Ukrainian people when it was considered that the war wouldn't last for very long. That has significantly changed. People are moving from what was considered to be a very short-term option to now looking to realistically be in Scotland for perhaps we want a short time as possible, of course, but it may be a considerable time. For those who are moving from hotel and ships into more permanent accommodation, and also the fact that we are now hitting the six-month time when initial hosting arrangements may not continue for whatever reason. That is a pinch point at the moment on the services, although we are still receiving more Ukrainians coming. Of course, we do not know what the scale of that might be, because I also understand from the consul that there are people with visas who have yet to come, but I have received visas to come here. I just wondered if your plans have changed and the policy has developed over time and you are now looking at a different model going forward? You are absolutely right. I think that everybody, sadly, expected at the beginning that this was going to be a short war. We have to pay tribute to the resilience, the bravery of the people of Ukraine for the fact that they have defended their country so incredibly well against the illegal Russian invasion, the latest invasion of course, because Russia had annexed Crimea in 2014. I think that everybody's expectation was that this was going to be a short and temporary situation. We are in a very different situation now. We are approaching a year, which is going to be a very poignant moment. I am happy to talk about some of the aspects that we are planning to do in terms of marking that particularly tricky anniversary for Ukrainians that are here in Scotland. However, there has had to be, obviously, in result of that, a change in approach. You have seen that in the way that the supersponsor scheme has been organised. We had a review of the supersponsor scheme at the time that I had to pause it due to the unprecedented demand that was placed upon it during the summer months when it was the only viable route to come into the United Kingdom. There were 16 interventions proposed as part of that review, led by Professor Linda Bald. We have made significant progress on the majority of those areas in that very short time since that review was published, including looking at the £50 million fund to bring forward longer-term accommodation, including looking at support for people through the private rented sector, modular accommodation. There are a number of things that we are moving to to make the scheme sustainable and durable for the long-term. As I said, sadly, we are in a situation for Ukrainians where they are having to be here in Scotland for their safety longer than was anticipated. We will continue to look to ensure that we are doing everything possible, reflecting on some of the areas that the head of the council office in Edinburgh has suggested and reflecting on the work that we are doing with our local authority partners and the third sector as well. I wonder what the Government is doing to engage with the Ukrainian community here in Scotland to mark that. There are a number of events planned for that week, both by the Government, by the City Council and by the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, Edinburgh. There are a number of events, including church services. There is going to be an event here in Parliament that is co-sponsored by myself and the Presiding Officer. On Tuesday night, the Scottish Government will be leading a debate on Thursday, the day before the anniversary. There is going to be wreath laying and processions not just here in Edinburgh but across Scotland as well. There are going to be a number of events that will hopefully allow the people that are here from Ukraine to see the solidarity of feeling that there is here from Scotland. I hope to remind people across Scotland that the war continues. As you say, there are more than 13,000 people who still hold a visa to travel that are yet to travel. We have people arriving from Ukraine every day still, although the scheme has been paused. Ensuring that it is high enough on the public's consciousness that this is still an issue that is requiring a significant amount of intervention and support is really important, not least of all, so that our friends from Ukraine who are here who have suffered great trauma will still be worried about family members or who have lost family members will want to make sure that they are marking that event appropriately. A few weeks ago, we heard evidence from the council that Ukrainians in Scotland are still finding it hard to register with GPs and dentists. In fact, it is warned that some have been forced to leave Scotland and go to Poland to get dental treatment. Additionally, in their briefing to the committee, Just Right Scotland has warned that some Ukrainians in Scotland are importing their own medications as they do not know how to obtain prescriptions from NHS Scotland. Given the time that is elapsed, it might be thought that these bureaucratic barriers should have been sorted by now. I am just asking for your reaction to that and also a plea to give this your urgent attention and ensure that these barriers to medical services are lifted. I have had the opportunity to meet Mr Coosley and to welcome him to Scotland to be able to set out the number of areas of intervention that the Scottish Government, local authority partners and others are working to support Ukrainians. I hope to be able to visit the Glasgow ship with him next week in order to talk about some of the move-on operations that are going on at Ambition, but also to discuss some of those areas that he raised. I cannot remember which authority it was that was asked this question when they appeared before he last week, but there was confirmation from local authority partners—I can give it again today—that support services that are on board the ships or in hotels or advice to hosts in terms of how people should or can register with doctors and dentists is readily available. If there has been a breakdown for some individuals in that case, that is obviously unfortunate. I am looking to ensure that the head of the consular services, Mr Coosley, is aware of the support services that are in place. You are absolutely right. It would be unacceptable if there was not a clear pathway for people to register with a doctor or what have you, but those support services are in place. They are entitled to register with doctors and dentists the same as any other Scottish resident, and I am confident that those support services are in place to ensure that those pathways are clear. Thank you for that. Another thing that he raised was the topic of accessing private rental accommodation. He requested—the consular requested—that local authorities act as rent guarantors. Last week, we heard from the Highland Council that they operate a rental guarantee scheme, and I think also, as Adam McGlasgow said, they are part of a national working group looking at the issue. Can you advise when that working group might report and what action can the Scottish Government take to assist any local authority in introducing a rental guarantee scheme? Obviously, we are hoping that that working group can report as quickly as possible. It is one of the 16 interventions that the review of the super sponsor scheme looked at was about support for private rental accommodation. Obviously, there are challenges and high levels of competition within the private rented sector in Scotland already. It is one avenue of potential long-term accommodation that we are looking at supporting Ukrainians to move into. 18 of the 32 local authorities currently offer some form of support in terms of guarantee schemes for the private rented sector. We are obviously looking at what more we might be able to do in terms of ensuring that we can extend that further. As I said, it is part of the review of the super sponsor scheme that Linda Bald led, and we will continue to do that working consort with my colleague Shona Robison and her housing officials as well. I wanted to ask you about access to private rented sector accommodation and whether there are creative solutions that are starting to come through on that issue. I was aware that, in Spain in 2015, Spanish cities were calling on the banks to make available empty vacant properties that were in their asset portfolios at that time for refugees. I am wondering what the options are in Scotland. You mentioned modular accommodation earlier on. I am aware that, within rural Scotland as well, we have empty properties and empty homes. I have an empty bed and breakfast in the community that I live in. It is frustrating to see homes and houses that are in our communities unavailable for general private rented sector accommodation, but particularly for the population of Ukrainian displaced people, who often want to stay in communities and continue to thrive and be a part of those communities. I am interested in what creative ideas are being developed to meet their needs right now. I thank Mr Ruskell for that question, because it really strikes at the heart of the work that we are doing right now to try to make sure that people have suitable long-term accommodation to move into from temporary accommodation, whether that is hosted or hotels or the two ships. The £50 million fund that was launched by the First Minister last year has had really good take-up so far. The projects that have been agreed were close to 750 properties being brought back into use. That could be allocated to Ukrainians, in some cases dedicated to Ukrainians and others that will also provide legacy accommodation options for domestic homelessness as well. We have a number of applications to that in the pipeline from authorities across Scotland. I would always say that there is more that could be done and encourage local authorities or owners of buildings that might be able to be repurposed to consider whether or not there is something, as Mr Ruskell describes it, creative that could be done to repurpose it to offer accommodation, either to respond directly to the situation for Ukrainians or, indeed, and additionally to provide legacy accommodation for domestic homelessness as well. We are also, as Mr Ruskell points out, looking at modular accommodation. We are not unique in that situation. The Irish Government has already got modular accommodation in use. The Welsh Government, I know, is also in advanced stages of introducing modular accommodation as well, because we need to look at any and all factors to try to ensure that we are providing appropriate and sustainable accommodation for people arriving from Ukraine. My encouragement to local authorities, registered social landlords and others is to look at empty homes, empty buildings that could be repurposed and speak to my colleagues in government and my officials to see whether there is an opportunity for a bid to be made for that capital funding to ensure that those properties are brought back into use. Okay, thanks very much for that. So another issue that's been raised with the committee is that we're hearing that there have been delays to in-country applications for the Ukrainian visa scheme from Ukrainians who were without leave to remain when the war actually began. So I'm wondering if that's something that you're aware of and whether there's been discussions with UK government about how we can ensure that there aren't any delays. I mean, initially, with the committee, we had concerns about seasonal workers who may be captured by that, who maybe left seasonal employment and were without leave to remain and then would be sort of trapped and unable to go through other routes. But, yeah, it was a surprise to see evidence coming in to suggest that there is still an issue there. I think Mr Ruskell's right, there is still an issue there. Obviously the UK government has the responsibility for all aspects of the processing and organisation of visas, whether it's for Ukrainians or others that are looking to come to Scotland, and we make regular representations to the UK government around the processing of visas for Ukrainians and others to ensure that they are happening as seamlessly as possible. The Ukrainian extension scheme was intended to try to bridge that gap that Mr Ruskell has pointed out, but if he has direct evidence of areas where that is continuing to be an issue, then I would be happy to bring that up with Home Office contacts that we're meeting regularly. Another issue is about a potential path to permanent settlement in the UK. In the vast majority of Ukrainian people we meet wish to return home, but no doubt some of them may wish to stay. Understanding what that path to permanent settlement might be is important for them to weigh up options. I'm just wondering if there is clarity on that and what can you do to try and get clarity for those who have the power to decide? Again, this is a very pertinent and timuous question that Mr Ruskell asks, convener, because this was something that I raised directly with Felicity Bucking, the new minister with responsibility for the Ukrainian scheme in the UK government. I'm concerned that we're approaching a year since the start of the latest invasion by Russia, therefore we're approaching a year since some people will have received visas. That means that they're a third of the way through their time here in the UK. It's a three-year visa. For some, Mr Ruskell is right, they will be wanting to return to Ukraine as soon as it is safe for them to do so. They've got property or family, they've got jobs or what have you to return to. There is an emotional tie there, understandably, to want to return to help to rebuild. For others, I know from speaking to Ukrainians they want to rebuild their life here in Scotland and they have enjoyed their stay thus far and they want to stay longer term. So it was a question that I raised with Felicity Bucking. I'm not confident that that thinking has progressed as yet in the UK government. It's something that I will continue to raise because we want to make sure that people who are here right now have the certainty of knowing what their status is. Again, I would encourage colleagues if they have evidence of where there are concerns that have been raised of that to ensure that I'm aware of that so that I can continue to raise that with UK colleagues. Dr Allan? One issue that's been raised by the Scottish Refugee Council is about the issue of arrivals and how to welcome people and to do that effectively in a way that provides some of the information that we're talking about. I realise that some of this involves co-operation of the UK border force, but the Scottish Refugee Council mentioned to us a lack of predictability of arrivals being one of their main challenges and how they no longer receive any information from the UK border force and therefore have no access to pre-arrival information. I realise that that's for the UK border force to organise, but can you say anything about where the Scottish Government comes into the greeting and arrival process and how you try to overcome some of these challenges of co-ordination? I thank Dr Allan for that question because it has been an issue for us throughout the last year or coming up to a year of responding to the crisis in Ukraine and the movement of people. Scottish Refugee Council, who we fund to support us in terms of that arrival support mechanisms at our welcome hubs, are absolutely right. As I think you also received evidence last week from local authorities around the fact that the unpredictability of arrivals was one of the greatest challenges, particularly the peak time of arrivals during the last summer when we had high numbers of people arriving and it contrasts completely compared to the resettlement programmes for those arriving from Afghanistan and Syria. That is a challenge, there's no doubt, and we've been looking to respond as best we can, but it has meant, for instance, us having to ensure that we have sufficient temporary accommodation to match the trend of arrivals, which in some cases meant that at some points through the last year we have had an over-provision of temporary accommodation. Sometimes we've been stretched in terms of temporary accommodation, but it's made it far more difficult for us to plan because we've not had that level of certainty in correspondence. It's difficult and a challenge, but I think that thus far I need to pay tribute to my colleagues at government and local authority teams at the Scottish Refugee Council who have been responding so admirably to ensure that people are given the appropriate welcome when they arrive, the welcome desks at the transit points in the Borough of Glasgow airport in particular, the train stations to ensure that there were people there to greet folk who were arriving from Ukraine, messages and information translated into Ukrainian, and then a very clear pathway of where they were going and where they were heading as part of that welcome operation. As I said in my introduction, I could not have done that without the partnership of support through the welcome hubs that have been involved with local authorities and SRC, but I'm happy to speak to the Scottish Refugee Council or indeed the Border Force again on how that could be operated in a better way in the future. Thank you, and it's a completely different issue. One that was raised by the council was the question of people who are looking for employment in Scotland and who feel with some justification that they are under-employed perhaps because their qualifications haven't been recognised for them to work here. Again, I realise some of that touches on reserved matters, but I'm interested to know what progress there has been in that conversation to try and ensure that there's mutual recognition of qualifications where possible to allow employment. Dr Allan is absolutely right. People are arriving here with very high levels of qualification, very well skilled. Obviously, we're looking to try to make sure that, while they are here, they are able to utilise those skills because we've got labour market challenges here obviously, and there have been discussions with the UK Government about mutual recognition of qualifications to try to make sure that people, such as medics that are arriving, are able to quickly go through the necessary transition to be able to practise here in Scotland. We'll continue to have those discussions as those particular areas that are raised with us are pointed out. I'd like to bring Kirsten in at this stage, so that she's going to say something like that. Just on that, we have had a bit of an update from the Law Society of Scotland. They're doing a lot of work with Ukrainian solicitors both to help them to support practising here under their home title, but also to re-qualify in Scotland, if they so wish. That includes waiving, examination and exemption fees. It includes free access to English language courses. They're running things like shadow and mentor schemes to support that as well. We are linked into that and we are doing what we can to support that. I would be very interested in getting an update on the 16 recommendations from the Super Sponsor Scheme for the committee, because that was, I think, November last year that was put out. Also to get an update on the September launch of the £50 million scheme, and the issue that you mentioned there about repurposing and accessing homes, 43,000 empty homes in Scotland and, for us in Edinburgh, it's over 9,000. In terms of a cost-effective way to get access to homes, I think that there's a huge interest in that. Particularly because, for those that have been hosts, given that we're almost at the one-year recognition of the devastation, there will be so many houses and communities that are bombed and destroyed, so it isn't now a short-term issue as you've correctly acknowledged. It's how we give people that medium-term support. If we could get an update, particularly on the £50 million scheme and the extent to which we can use it to repurpose existing homes that are empty, that would be cost-effective. Just to say a bit about support for hosts, continuing support, many of them over their six months, are you bringing new hosts into play? Just talk about what's actually happening now. I thank Ms Boyack for that question. I'd be happy, I think, in the interests of time, rather than me going through, as I'd be happy to do, but going through each and every item of recommendations, 16 recommendations and the progress that would be made on each, I'd be happy to write to the committee detailing each of the 16 recommendations and the follow-up work that has been progressed in the three months since the recommendations were published, if that would be satisfactory to the committee convener. One item of that is around two items there that Ms Boyack has raised. One is around the £50 million fund and the other is around support for hosts. In terms of the £50 million fund, as I'd outlined previously, we're approaching 750 units that have been brought back into use, which is £10 million of the fund that has been granted to local authority partners. We've got a large number of applications that are being progressed and also registers of interest, including from Edinburgh City Council, around potential opportunities for a bid to go in to repurpose or bring back into use properties. The issue around empty homes is one that has been around for some time. Obviously, those are privately owned, largely if they're in the social rented sector, the £50 million fund should address them, but the privately owned homes is a challenge. There are opportunities there to buy those back, but that requires quite a lot of discussion, negotiation and information around who owns them and whether or not they're willing or in a position to sell them or bring them back into use. In terms of support for hosts, first of all, I have to express my utmost gratitude to the thousands of people across Scotland who have put their name forward and are hosting people across Scotland. I've got friends who are doing that and I've been able to see for myself the incredible generosity that there is there but also the appreciation that there is amongst Ukrainians for the fact that people have opened their homes. There has been an updated appeal for new hosts to come forward, which has been well taken up thus far, but we would always look to encourage anyone who thinks that they might be in a position to offer a place of sanctuary to a Ukrainian who has been displaced to come forward and will do what we can to provide the necessary support that's in place. It offers me the opportunity as well, convener, to reflect on the fact that the UK Government has partially acceded to the calls from the Scottish and Welsh Government to increase support for those who are in hosting arrangements. I'm very well aware of the challenges that people are facing in terms of energy costs and the cost crisis, and we had recommended that the UK Government immediately increase the £350 thank you payment to reflect the fact that inflation is running incredibly high. The UK Government partially acquiesced to that to increase the thank you payment to £500 after 12 months that somebody has been hosting for, which does not meet the requirements that we feel that there are to maintain hosting arrangements or to encourage new people to come forward. We would have wanted to see that go much further. If you look at our arrivals data, the majority of the people who have arrived in Scotland either in hosting arrangements or otherwise arrived around the summer. For people to make that 12-month hosting commitment, we won't make that until the summer time. We know that the pressure is now. I referenced earlier the meeting that I had with Felicity Bucking last week or the week before where I impressed, as did Jane Hutt, that my counterpart in Wales impressed upon the importance of the Treasury releasing further finance to support hosts and will continue to make those calls. There were other calls that were made in there around local authority support as well, which I am sure we will turn to later in the discussion. Very good that you will give us that update in the recommendations, because we do not have time to let you run through in the entirety. I could if you want, but I suspect that in the interests of time we best not. So it was to come back to the housing issues and I should put on record my register of interest, a former employment. I think that it has been very much seen as a win-win because you have a housing crisis within a housing crisis, so that support to get empty homes back in use is not straightforward, but in terms of the £50 million fund it could potentially be really significant. I am glad that you have put on the record the issues about hosts, because I have had constituents worried about whether the money will run out after six months. While it may not be enough, it is important to let people know that support is there. You also mentioned modular housing in your introductory remarks. I think that most of us were assuming that that had now been ruled out with the £50 million focus. There are a lot of concerns about that. Do you want to say anything more about that on the record? No, we have not ruled it out. We are still looking at the possibility of a pilot to look at the appropriateness of modular housing. There are concerns that we want to make sure that we can overcome if we are looking at modular housing around homelessness standards and making sure that we have appropriate accommodation being utilised, but we are looking closely at the work that is being done in Ireland and looking to liaise further with our colleagues in Wales, who are also in advanced discussions around utilising modular accommodation. There are a wide range of potential options ranging from very temporary solutions to longer-term options that can be purchased, that have a life in the decades that can be utilised, which we are very interested in exploring further. Once we have taken a decision, I would be happy to make sure that the committee is updated on any progress that has been made on that front. That would be very helpful because I think that there is a huge amount of concerns about it. You mentioned yourself about local authorities, capacity issues, schools and people being able to get the health support apart from just the welfare of people being in modular accommodation. I think that we would be very keen to see any updates on that because of the real worries about that. That is why the focus on bringing existing homes back into use, which are safe and which are integrated in communities, is something that, as I say, is potentially a win-win. When I look to Edinburgh, we have people from Syria and Afghanistan who are still in temporary accommodation. That has to be an urgent issue that requires investment. Ms Boyack is absolutely right. The issues that she raises around ensuring that there is access to appropriate services, ensuring that there is appropriate living accommodation are ones that we are absolutely considering are the key parts, the key considerations for us in deciding whether we are to go ahead and proceed where those sites might be located, but also in terms of ensuring the appropriateness of accommodation. I will be happy when we take a decision or when we progress any of those matters. As I have done in terms of the ships to give confidence to colleagues, I will be happy to ensure that the committee is furnished with those details and the opportunity to visit any potential sites that we are looking at. You have touched in some of your evidence about co-operation and co-ordination with other Governments across the UK and also with Ireland. I wonder if you could expand a wee bit more on that. I am also interested to delve a bit more into the change in the council funding, the decrease from £10,500 to £5,900, as mandated by the UK Government. I will be interested to get your thoughts on how that is going to impact local authorities here. First of all, in terms of the international and cross-government inter-government co-operation, any international visit that I have been on, whether that is in Brussels, Dublin, Poland, Germany, all have had an element around discussions and their particular response to the situation in Ukraine. It has been evident to me as I set out in my introduction that this is the largest movement of people on the European continent. It is a second world war. It is a crisis that people could not prepare for and are responding to as best as possible. It is a Europe-wide challenge that we are all facing, that we are all looking to examples of best practice elsewhere to see where other countries, including our owner, are trying to make sure that we are responding in the best possible way for those that have fled war. There is very strong co-operation and discussion with Welsh Government colleagues, for instance, who are very much on the same page in terms of responding. Obviously, there is a difference in scale of arrival. Again, there is a difference in scale of arrival in the upper direction in terms of the discussions that we have had with the Irish Government, which are part of the European nations that waived visa requirements. I have had a very large number of Ukrainians arrive compared to what we have had in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK. There are shared challenges in terms of access to housing, access to services, and other similar issues in terms of making sure that we are having an appropriate response. The challenges that we are facing here in Scotland are not unique, is what I am looking to say. In terms of the financial situation that Ms Minto has described, it is a huge worry to me. I know that it is a major worry to local authorities here in Scotland, and I know that that came through in evidence last week. It is also a huge worry to Welsh Government colleagues and, I believe, the local government association in England as well, because Ms Minto is right that local authority tariff support is reducing from 10,500 per person to 5,900 as of January. However, thereafter, there is no year 2 tariff of support for local authorities, unlike the Syria scheme or the Afghan scheme. It has been replaced by a one-off fund of £150 million across the UK that we are still to understand what the allocation of it will be. However, our assumption is that it will be a 10th of the value of the year 1 tariff funding per person. The 10,500 was already a stretch for our local authority partners who are asking to do a significant amount of support in terms of education, in terms of housing, social work support and trauma support. The conversation that I mentioned with my counterpart, the UK Government, Felicity Bucking, was even more that she was suggesting local government should or could be doing, which met with some frustration from myself because, while we are asking our local authorities to do more—people are still arriving—we are seeing funding from the UK Government to support that dropping, as I say, by up to a 10th for the second year coming. I hope that it is not too late. I hope that we can impress on Treasury colleagues the fact that they have done a huge amount in terms of the military support and that I grant and I take my hat off to the UK Government for the military support that they have provided Ukraine, which is amongst world-leading and credit where it is due for that. However, we also must ensure that we are appropriately supporting the humanitarian response, too. I have real grave concerns that this cut in funding will not meet the expectation of meeting those humanitarian concerns. I am happy to bring my colleague, Will Tyler Gregg, in at this stage. To build on the minister's comments, the education tariff is another element that we understand will be ceased. There is no current plan for replacement. We have asked for clarity on whether the Scottish Government would receive any uplift in barnatted consequentials, but we are yet to receive a firm answer on that. That is concerning. The earlier comments around the uplift and thank-you payments are another added element. The majority of hosts, 95 per cent in an ONS survey reported struggling to meet the costs for utilities and basics such as bedding in toiletries. It is going to hit communities, hosts and children in school. Children in school is one of the foremost ways of helping to integrate a family. It is a concern. Thank you for that comprehensive answer. It really hits home when you realise the magnitude of what is going on across our local authorities to support Ukrainian families that are here and through our third sector groups. I know that my thanks goes out to all the hard work that is happening there to ensure that people are welcomed. I spoke two weeks ago to the council about the heritage and culture of the Ukrainians that are living in Scotland just now. It is important for us all to mark the anniversary of the start of this illegal conflict, but we have also got to recognise the importance of the culture that those families are bringing to us. One of his suggestions was looking at Ukrainian holidays and how we could support local authorities to recognise that. I would like to hear your thoughts on how, given cultures in your job title, we can support the Ukrainians. Given the length of the conflict and the damage that has happened, how Scotland can continue to support the country to rebuild once the dreadful conflict is ended? I thank Ms Minto again for that question. There are a number of aspects that I want to touch on. The first is to reiterate the thanks and the appreciation of the work that has gone on in local authorities across Scotland to respond to that. They have some experience on a smaller scale in terms of the Syrian resettlement work. The resettlement officers across Scotland have done an exemplary job in terms of supporting hosts, supporting Ukrainians and ensuring that everything that is possible is done to facilitate schooling, housing and so on. We have had very close co-operation and work through individual local authorities directly, as you would expect, but also through COSLAW, which we have regular meetings with as well, both at ministerial and senior official level. Ms Minto is also right in terms of recognising the fact and celebrating the fact that Ukrainians arriving here bring with them cultural diversity. It is something that we celebrate in Scotland. We should not also take it for granted. We need to make sure that that is continued to be appreciated. The work that is done by existing and growing Ukrainian community groups has been mentioned by the Association of Ukrainians at Great Britain, the Reddombra branch, and the Glasgow branch. Hannah has been recognised with awards, as has the Ukrainian club in Edinburgh and deservedly so, because they are doing fantastic work to support our work, to support Ukrainians that have arrived here, to continue to celebrate Ukrainian culture. Any suggestions that there are from Mr Coosley or others about what more we can do in supporting that are obviously more than happy to look at that and to ensure that we are providing that support and that warm welcome that people absolutely deserve. Into the future, how can Scotland's cultural side support the rebuilding? Yes. There was a conference held here at the Scottish Parliament with heritage and cultural organisations from Ukraine. We heard very harrowing accounts of the cultural vandalism and destruction that you will have heard as well and the convener heard around the cultural vandalism and destruction of monuments and other sites of cultural significance in Ukraine. There is a clear targeting of those sites by Russian forces to try to wipe Ukraine and everything that Ukraine stands for from the face of the earth, which I would suggest should be in the category of investigation for a war crime. We will continue to work directly with colleagues from Ukraine on the cultural side about what we can do to support that. In terms of rebuilding, one of the meetings that I had when I was in Brussels at the end of last year was with the Committee of the Regions around what we can do in partnership around the rebuilding work, because there is a leading role that the Committee of the Regions has taken to co-ordinate that recovery support. We haven't had advanced discussions as yet, because we are still in the situation of the war. We will be looking to do what we can, depending on what the demand is, either to offer special practical support or otherwise to ensure that Ukraine can rebuild when the war is over and Ukraine has maintained its borders and boundaries. I want to go back for a supplementary question about the thank you payments, as I understand from what you said. There will be two levels and hosts will qualify after 12 months, but I know that some hosts will already be on a second, possibly third, hosting arrangements. By nature, there is a break in that process. I am curious to know how that has been managed if there is a 12-month limit. It seems strange that the expenses are here and now for everyone that disparity could discourage people from stepping up. You are absolutely right. It is disappointing that there was an acknowledgement and recognition that there was more needed to be done to support our hosts. To give credit where it is due to the UK Government, it has acknowledged that. The disappointing element is the fact that it has been kicked down the road in terms of when that support starts, which for many people will not be until long until the summer. It is also a confusion as to when the qualification will actually come in, and I will bring in my colleague and try to provide some clarification on that. We continue to impress, as does the Welsh Government. This is not, again, something that it is just the Scottish Government trying to impress on UK colleagues of the need of this intervention. It is also something that the previous minister with responsibility for Ukraine, Richard Harrington, also acknowledged and said publicly that he wanted to see support payments happen and happen faster. We will continue to do what we can, but I will bring in my colleague, well-talag Gregor, at this stage. The UK Government has confirmed that time spent in short-term accommodation will contribute towards a 12-month eventual uplift. In other words, any placement in country, whether it is in temporary accommodation with a first host, a second host, a third host, will eventually add up to 12 months. At that point, the host at 12 months will receive the uplifted payment. My worry is how that gets navigated by councils. So someone could have someone in their house for 10 months, but the money follows the person, but the thank you is too... It is certainly not intuitive. My concern and the minister's concern and the Welsh Government have been clear that the implementation of that scheme will be quite difficult for councils to track. In other words, that progress through different hosting arrangements. In other words, it would be far simpler to uplift. Of course, as the minister says, uplift universally. It does not matter when you start volunteering, you are just making the same good contribution to welcoming Ukrainians. It seems strange. It is going to be really challenging because, as we have already heard, and as we know is potentially going to be happening with the disembarkation from ambition, there is the potential for people to move into different local authority areas. That will be the case from hosted accommodation, temporary accommodation and long-term accommodation. So there are relatively simple ways that that could be resolved. It is going to take well. To be fair, I do not think that the blocker here is with my ministerial counterparts with responsibility for Ukraine. I think that it is encouragement of the treasury that is required to see both that and the tariff payments to local authorities resolved. We will continue to do what we can to try to impress on them of that need. As you have rightly said, minister, all our thanks go to the people who have stepped up to hosting. The last thing that we want to do is create a situation of disparity for them or a level of unfairness that might have seen. Thank you for your work in that area. I also thank you for your commitment to the further information from the committee this morning. I am happy to provide it to the committee rather than fuel it to mess by it. Thank you, convener. You touched on this in your last answer, minister, but one thing I raised last week with local authority witnesses was this question of transition from short-term accommodation to longer-term accommodation wherever that is and the fact that the importance of continuity, particularly in education settings for children and in employment settings for adults. The challenges that might be posed if a Ukrainian individual or a family moves from one local authority to another or within a large local authority area. What is the Scottish Government doing to help out? It is undoubtedly a challenge. It is one of the things that I was foremost in the discussions that I had with Mr Coosley when I met him. It was about ensuring as minimal as possible disruption to people as they are moving, particularly from the ships, but also from a hotel accommodation as well. He, as I said, has given a commitment to come with me to ambition, I hope, next week in order to help to communicate what is available and the support that is in place and give some reassurance around some of that work. First of all, I want to say that I am very heartened by the fact that Ukrainians who have arrived in Scotland, albeit in temporary accommodation, have been able to put down routes and establish themselves in schools, employment and other community settings. That is obviously what we want to see. It poses a challenge when we are in the temporary accommodation by its nature temporary. There will be an element of disruption when people move on from that. We are looking to do what we can to offer accommodation where we can as close as possible to where they have been based. That is not always going to be possible, which is why we have had a number of local authorities from across Scotland go on to ambition in the past few weeks. It is 50 families that are likely to move to Aberdeenshire in the coming period. We also want to impress on people the opportunities that there are for employment, schooling and housing across Scotland, not just in the central belt. That is something that I raised in my last appearance to the committee in June, was the opportunities that there are for people to move around Scotland and to be able to rebuild their lives from there. We will work closely, obviously, with Mr Coosley and our local authority partners and not just those who have direct involvement in hosting the temporary accommodation, so the ambitions case Glasgow, but the neighbouring authorities as well, to see what we can do to offer accommodation that would allow people to still be able to commute easily or to be able to go to school where they have already settled. I must stress that, because of the nature of temporary accommodation, there is going to be an element of disruption. I have to say finally that the national matching service has become very successful. We have now approached, I think, 4,000 people that have been matched from temporary accommodation into longer-term accommodation, whether that is hosted or longer-term accommodation, private housing or social housing. Conversations with people in the matching service continue with those on the ships and those in the hotels to try to ensure that people can move on to areas that are of their choosing and will suit their needs both in terms of education and employment. We have heard about pressures on accommodation, and there is a large caveat to that, given how the warning Ukraine could progress. We are hearing warnings coming out of the country of a new Russian offensive. In that context, I wonder if there are emergency contingency plans in place if there is a large, fresh influx of Ukrainians wishing to come to Scotland? We continue to monitor the situation in terms of the war, because that is our best way of predicting what movement might be like. Obviously, the scheme itself is paused, so it is only those who are in receipt of a super-sponsor visa already—over 30,500 that are still to travel—or those who have managed to find a private host through what is available UK-wide that would be able to travel. However, that is something that we keep constant eye on and ensure that we will be looking to procure the necessary temporary accommodation to keep up. Or, as Mr Golden points out, the contingency that there would be beyond that, where we see elsewhere in Europe where there has been a larger movement of people, which would be your more typical refugee accommodation, which we have been seeking to avoid clearly up until now to ensure that people who arrive here are given the best possible start. However, all those considerations are kept under review to ensure that we are able to offer appropriate accommodation as best we possibly can. Thanks for that. I am also keen to hear your views on how important Scotland's third sector has been in supporting displaced Ukrainians and if they have the resources that they require in order to do this. Again, as I said in my introduction, I paid tribute to the third sector as I have done to our local authority partners. The Scottish Refugee Council is obviously very key partners for us in terms of the implementation, the welcome arrangements and the delivery of our response and ensuring that everything that we are doing is sense-checked. However, in individual communities and across Scotland, third sector organisations, as they do for people who are already resident in Scotland, do a phenomenal job to help and support people who have arrived from Ukraine. I have seen wonderful work in my constituency in Erdring Shorts and wider North Lanarkshire, as well as across Scotland when I have been out on visits, such as in Aberfeldy, which is that the community there has really done an incredible job in providing the help and support for people from Ukraine. In terms of whether they themselves are getting the necessary support, I would always say that they can come and speak to us if they are needing more support. We provide funding—I will bring Willan on the exact figures—to third sector interfaces across Scotland to make sure that there can be money and support distributed. I do not know whether you have the exact support. I also want to mention the third sector reference group that the minister will start to chair. It is new as part of the review. We took forward a decision to better integrate the understanding that the third sector has on the ground and to understand it to co-ordinate that. Over 77,000 has been provided to Edinburgh third sector interface, more than 1.3 million to the Scottish Refugee Council. There is obviously a package of support that goes beyond that in terms of Ukraine advice Scotland and, of course, British Red Cross. The new ministerial-led third sector group will be the key platform to make decisions on how best to support the third sector moving into next financial year. I hope that the minister mentioned the suspension of the sub-sponsor scheme and the context of the other schemes that were open in the UK at that time. When is that likely to be reviewed? How can you update the committee on progress in that way? It is under constant review, as it would be expected, of the last statement that I made to Parliament, which confirmed that it would remain paused. Discussions are going to be had with the programme delivery board in the coming weeks. I will be able to furnish the committee with the outcome of that, but a decision on the current status is going to be required this month, so I will make sure that the committee is furnished with the outcome of that. That exhausts questions this morning. Just before we move into private session, can I thank the minister and his colleagues for their attendance this morning? We look forward to having full participation in the events that you have mentioned marking a year since the start of the war that we hope will be over as soon as possible. Apparently, the microphone did not pick up the start of the committee, so I have to ask for official parliamentary process if my colleagues are content to take the agenda item 3 and 4 in private.