We are mindful that events in Ukraine can have a direct impact on the number of Ukrainians who may arrive in Wales. Although we have seen a small number of individuals seeking to return to Wales after a period back in Ukraine, we are still not seeing a significant change at present.

In December, I updated Members via a written statement about UK Government’s financial announcements in relation to the Homes for Ukraine scheme. We are very disappointed with the decision to almost halve the integration tariff to £5,900 for new arrivals from 1 January, as well as the decision not to provide a year 2 integration tariff. These decisions are out of step with other resettlement schemes and reduce vital funding to local authorities at a time of immense budgetary pressure. Under other resettlement schemes, local authorities have generally received around £20,000 per person over a three- to five-year period. For Ukrainian arrivals from 1 January 2023, this will be just under £6,000 instead. We have repeatedly called for funding parity between the Homes for Ukraine scheme and the Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Extension Scheme. Unfortunately, again, the UK Government has decided not to implement this parity, which compounds the pressure on local authorities.

We were pleased to see confirmation that host 'thank you' payments will be extended for a second year. This is very important because, when hosting placements work well, this can relieve housing demand and create a support network. The decision to uplift the 'thank you' payments to £500 per month is also welcome, though we regret that this will not happen until after 12 months of arrival for the hosted person.

Due to the wider housing pressures across Wales, we're working more intensively to find more hosts who can support Ukrainians who need accommodation. We continue to urge potential hosts to come forward and register an interest at www.gov.wales/offer-home-wales-refugees-ukraine, and to attend one of the 'introduction to hosting' sessions facilitated by Housing Justice Cymru. Hosting provides flexible and cost-effective accommodation that enables people to regain some independence and to integrate with local communities. Hosts are not alone and can receive excellent support from Housing Justice Cymru’s host support service, which offers everything from practical advice or a listening ear, to support robust and happy hosting placements for both the host and the guest, as well as refer to our Welsh Government sanctuary website. We are particularly keen to hear from those who could host families or those with pets.

The UK Government has announced that there will be a new UK £150 million fund for Ukrainian housing support during 2023-24, but details are currently scant. We are keen to work closely with UK Government and Welsh local authorities to ensure we can draw down maximum funding for Wales and use it effectively to relieve some of the pressures I have already mentioned. We will be working with local government to understand the full on-the-ground impact of the UK Government funding announcements. Our draft Welsh Government budget includes £40 million to support the Ukraine response in 2023-24, with the majority of that intended to support the supersponsor route. We will explore viable options in terms of reduced funding in the coming weeks from the UK Government.

In terms of the support we are currently providing, our revised approach to initial accommodation support was implemented from 9 January, with guests informed of impending changes on 1 December. Thus far, we have received positive feedback about the changes we have made, with guests actively engaging with the 'move on' processes we have in place. Indeed, we have now had more than 1,200 supersponsor arrivals move on, over 800 of whom have settled into longer term accommodation in Wales, such as host arrangements or the private rented sector. I’m grateful for the work of local authorities and third sector partners in supporting our Ukrainian guests to move on and put down roots within our local communities.

Since my last statement on Ukraine, we also held our first Holodomor commemoration event in Cardiff on 26 November. I wanted to mark the importance of that event and the gratitude we received from the 60 or so Ukrainians who joined us, in heavy rain, to commemorate it with us. We had participation from the deputy ambassador of Ukraine to the UK, Ukrainian support organisations, the Ukrainian orthodox church, the Archbishop of Cardiff, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, the Welsh Local Government Authority leader Andrew Morgan, and Welsh Ministers, including the First Minister and the Counsel General. The event was led by the honorary chaplain to Cardiff Council, Reverend Canon Stewart Lisk. The commemoration fulfilled a commitment made in this Siambr in May 2022 to commemorate Holodomor, and we intend to continue that work in 2023.