Stone asks governments to work together to resolve refugee 'logjam'

The Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Jamie Stone MP, has today spoken up for the hundreds of Ukrainian refugees who are stuck in Scottish hotels up to a month after arriving in Scotland.

While people from across the Highlands have opened up their homes to house Ukrainians fleeing from Russian aggression, many refugees have found themselves victims of government bureaucracy after arriving in Scotland.

Asking a question to the Home Secretary today, Jamie Stone urged the UK Government to talk with the Scottish Government with the view to sorting out the backlog of Ukrainian refugee cases.

Mr Stone commented:"Even in the small village of Golspie, in my constituency, seven families from Ukraine are soon to be welcomed. The Highlands has a long history of welcoming refugees from all corners of the world, and the fallout from the crisis in Ukraine will not change that.

"The problem is not the lack of will to support these families, but the serious blockage, bottlenecks, and red tape along the way. The Scottish Government’s Super Sponsor scheme is laudable in intent, but in practice it is leaving Ukrainians stranded in hotels.

"Every second wasted with Government incompetency is another second a civilian family has to remain waiting in limbo. It is time for both Governments to put their heads together to expedite these cases as a matter of urgency."

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