7. Statement by the Minister for Social Justice: Update on Ukraine

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:18 pm on 17 May 2022.

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Photo of Heledd Fychan Heledd Fychan Plaid Cymru 5:18, 17 May 2022

Can I thank you, Minister, for the regularity of these briefings? Obviously, it is a fast-moving situation, and I think that is reflected with the response and regularity here. I just wanted to reference two things briefly. It was obviously great to see the emphasis with English language tuition; what does this mean in terms of access to Welsh language immersion as well? Because obviously families will be all over Wales. Some will, hopefully, as we've seen with different people coming to Wales in the past, be immersed in the Welsh language, as we saw with the Urdd. So, just a question in terms of that bilingual welcome and opportunity.

Also, I just wanted to raise the issue of people without passports currently in Ukraine. I have been contacted by a number of people who are trying to support those. Obviously, the UK Government is placing a big emphasis that people must have passports in order to be able to come here, whereas other countries are not placing that same restriction. Obviously, if you're fleeing a war, being able to take all your documents is not something that's quite as easy, and also some people may not have had passports in the first place and are trying to secure those now. So, I just wanted to ask: what support is Welsh Government currently providing in assisting those without a passport for a whole array of reasons in Ukraine so that they are able to reach here safely?