The UK will deliver £2.3 billion or more of military support for Ukraine’s campaign against Russian aggression this year, the same or more than last year, when the UK sent more than 10,800 anti-tank missiles, five air defence systems, 120 armoured vehicles, ammunition, drones and more.

Over 1,320 individuals and entities have been sanctioned, and £275 billion-worth of assets frozen, hitting the Russian economy, hobbling Russia’s military-industrial complex, and punishing Putin and allies, including 120 oligarchs worth over £140 billion combined.

Two hundred and seventeen thousand nine hundred visas have been issued to help Ukrainians come to the UK. On 7 February, this comprised 152,100 issued as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme and 65,800 issued through the Ukraine family scheme. The UK has also provided £1.5 billion of economic and humanitarian support to help the Ukrainian people, with £1.3 billion to help keep Ukrainian public services running, and around £220 million in humanitarian aid for basic necessities.

The latest UK Government figures at 7 February showed that 8,762 visas have been granted to people from Ukraine who have sponsors in Wales, and that 6,437 Ukrainians had arrived in Wales, 53 per cent supported by the Welsh Government and the remainder by Welsh households. There have been additional arrivals under the Ukraine family scheme. The Welsh Government set up its supersponsor scheme to provide accommodation support and care in Wales to 1,000 people from Ukraine. It also removed the need for applicants to be matched to a named person before they’re cleared to travel to the UK through the visa system. However, the scheme was temporarily paused to new applications on 10 June last year. The Welsh Government stated that this would allow time for arrangements to be made for the next stage of accommodation, and that all applications made before 10 June 2022 would be processed. It therefore remains unclear how many of the 4,614 issued visas sponsored by the Welsh Government applies to applications made before 10 June 2022, and how many to a supersponsor scheme reopened after the Welsh Government considered that it had made arrangements for the next stage of accommodation.

In her humanitarian response statement yesterday, the social justice Minister said that over 1,300 of those Welsh Government has sponsored have now moved into longer term accommodation. In this context, I'll also repeat what I stated when responding to the Minister’s statement yesterday:

‘It is reported that many Ukrainian refugees in Wales have spoken to the media about the difficulties that many of them are having finding and maintaining housing accommodation. For example, Ukrainian refugees who've had to leave their sponsor homes have been told that welcome centres aren't an option for safe accommodation, and landlords appear reluctant to take on refugee tenants due to concerns over stability of future earnings.’

Responding to the Minister three weeks ago, I also referred to the case of the mother and daughter who fled fighting in Ukraine but now face homelessness as their Welsh sponsor pulls out, who cannot afford private rent and who fear they could end up on the streets. I further noted that the Irish Government has announced that it would be delivering 700 modular homes for Ukrainian refugees this year, including 200 accommodating 800 Ukrainian refugees, built by Easter.

From 2003, I campaigned with the housing sector, warning the Welsh Government that Wales faced an affordable housing supply crisis unless urgent action was taken. Regrettably, they ignored us, causing the affordable housing supply crisis in Wales today. The Welsh Government should therefore be considering this option, the option of modular housing, when it receives its share of the UK Government’s new £150 million fund for Ukrainian housing support. In this context, the humanitarian corridor work of Wrexham’s Polish integration support centre, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, includes proposals for the construction of temporary housing. Further, the focus of Berwyn prison in Wrexham on rehabilitation through work includes the production of eco-friendly modular housing.

The Welsh Government's Ukrainian humanitarian response has, to a large extent, been dependent upon engagement with third sector organisations, including Link International, bringing together community and faith groups and third sector organisations, working with north Wales local authorities, in collaboration with other statutory agencies and the Welsh Government; Wrexham's Polish integration support centre, supporting Ukrainian children, older people, disabled people and soldiers; the Red Cross, supporting and housing the families of the pupils that Laura Anne Jones and I met in Denbighshire last Friday; Rotary clubs that have donated over £6 million in cash and kind and given more than 100,000 volunteer hours supporting Ukraine and its people over the last 12 months; the response to the invasion of Ukraine by the Catholic Bishops Conference for England and Wales; and many, many more.

We must collectively thank the people of Wales for their kindness, generosity and determination to support our Ukrainian friends. The military, financial and humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine by both the UK and Welsh Governments has been vital in supporting the fight against tyranny. But we can't become complacent now. I therefore call on all Members to support this motion, which calls on the Welsh Government to publish a long-term plan to support Ukrainian refugees in Wales, ensuring Wales can truly be a nation of sanctuary. Diolch yn fawr.