10 Tuesday March 15 2022 | the times
News
Households offering their homes to
Ukrainians will face only “light-touch”
vetting to maximise the number of
refugees who come to the UK.
Michael Gove, the communities sec-
retary, said that full DBS (Disclosure
and Barring Service) checks would not
be needed for thousands of people sign-
ing up to the Homes for Ukraine
scheme.
Individuals and organisations who
register to sponsor refugees will be
checked against the Police National
Computer to protect refugees from ex-
ploitative individuals taking advantage
of the scheme. There was confusion
after Sajid Javid, the health secretary,
told Times Radio earlier yesterday that
hosts would have “DBS-style checks”.
MPs warned that the lack of a full
DBS check on individuals raised seri-
ous safeguarding concerns, given the
government was suggesting that Brit-
ish households could use social media
to match with Ukrainians.
Hosts must match up with a Ukraini-
an refugee or family themselves before
submitting a joint visa application with
the named individuals. Although hosts
could register their interest yesterday,
visa applications for the scheme do not
open until Friday.
Gove said that local authorities,
which will be given £10,500 per refugee
resettled in their area, would be able to
spot signs of abuse. Sponsors would be
visited by safeguarding professionals
from local government, but only after
the Ukrainian refugees had moved in
with their UK sponsor. With more than
35,000 households signing up in the
first five hours of the scheme opening,
there were concerns over how long and
how thorough the checks would be.
Government sources said that
teachers, doctors and nurses would act
as an “additional check” for problems
such as domestic abuse.
Announcing the scheme, Gove told
MPs: “We do not believe that we need
to have full DBS checks to ensure that
someone is an appropriate sponsor.
Very light-touch criminal checks will
often be sufficient, and then local
authorities can be supported to ensure
that people are safe.”
Grant Shapps, the transport secre-
tary, announced yesterday that he
would offer to accommodate a Ukraini-
Q&A
What is the new scheme
announced yesterday?
Homes for Ukraine allows
individuals, businesses,
charities and community
groups to bring people
escaping the war to safety
even if they have no ties to
the UK.Who can sign up? Anyone
with a room or home
available can offer it to a
Ukrainian individual or a
family as long as they can
commit to at least six
months.Does the host have to be
living in the property? No.Will hosts be vetted? Yes,
but only “very light-touch”
checks will be carried out as
the government wants to
get as many refugeesmatched as soon as
possible. Hosts will be
checked against the police
national computer to detect
exploitative individuals.Will hosts’ homes be
checked? Yes, sponsors will
be visited by safeguarding
professionals from the local
authority to assess whether
the property and individuals
are appropriate after those
who have moved in.How do hosts sign up? By
filling out a form at
homesforukraine.campaign.
gov.uk. Hosts are asked
whether they can offer six-
nine months, 10-12 months,
or more than 12 months.
They can sign up to
accommodate a single
adult, multiple adults or
families and can also offer a
number of properties.What happens next? After
hosts have passed basic
security checks, they mustname an individual or
family they wish to
accommodate in a separate
visa application form that
they can fill in from Friday.How do hosts and refugees
get matched? UK hosts are
responsible for finding the
Ukrainians and must name
individuals or families they
want to bring to the UK. This
will rely on UK hosts having
connections, or finding
refugees through social
networks on or offline.
Organisations such as the
Sanctuary Foundation have
set up a consortium of
bodies that will help match
hosts with refugees.What if hosts cannot find a
refugee to sponsor? They
will have to wait until the
second phase of the
scheme is launched within
the next few weeks. They
can register their interest
on the same form as above.
How long can refugeesstay? Sponsored Ukrainians
will be granted three years’
leave to remain in the UK,
with entitlement to work
and access public services.What checks will be
carried out on Ukrainians?
Those with Ukrainian
passports will be allowed to
apply online and travel to
the UK without attending a
visa centre but must submit
their biometric details at a
centre in the UK within six
months of arriving.Is there any compensation?
Those offering a place to
stay will receive an optional
tax-free monthly payment of
£350 which will not affect
benefit entitlements or
council tax status. Councils
will be entitled to £10,
per Ukrainian refugee. Hosts
must not charge any rent.How many have applied?
There were over 44,
offers in the first six hours.News War in Ukraine
Light vetting will boost number
Matt Dathan Home Affairs Editor
Ben Webster Environment Editor
an refugee in his home. Gove’s hopes of
housing a refugee have been complicat-
ed because he lives in Carlton Gardens,
a grace-and-favour residence, since
separating from his wife, Sarah Vine,
last year. Security concerns are pre-
venting him from hosting refugees at
the apartment. It is normally the for-
eign secretary’s official London resi-
dence but Liz Truss offered it to him
after he moved out of his family home.
Aides said that he is more likely to use
his constituency home in Surrey Heath
to accommodate refugees.
Priti Patel is unlikely to host refugees
because of security concerns over living
with a home secretary, while Downing
Street indicated that the prime minister
would not be taking any Ukrainian
refugees in.
Boris Johnson’s official spokesman
said that it was up to individual
ministers whether they chose to give
accommodation to a refugee. “There
are specific challenges around security
on housing people in No 10,” he said.
“Obviously it will come down to indi-
vidual circumstances. This is a signifi-
cant commitment.”
Javid said that it would be difficult to
“offer the time” to host Ukrainian
refugees in his home. He said it was
important that those who offered to
become a host could spend time with
resettled families.
Separately, the government
announced emergency measures
yesterday to allow all Ukrainian
refugees to bring their pets into the UK.
The government will cover the cost of
any quarantine required.
Animal welfare groups had warned
that cats and dogs travelling with re-
fugees might have to be euthanised un-
less the UK relaxed rules on pet travel.
A spokesman for the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
said: “We have put in place a new
streamlined process for people bring-
ing their pets from Ukraine. The
Animal and Plant Health Agency will
provide quick approvals and relevant
quarantine arrangements, for which we
will cover the costs.”
An RSPCA spokeswoman said:
“We’re pleased that for refugees
coming to the UK they won’t have the
added heartbreak of leaving their pets
behind.”
Letters, page 32
Scheme will work only if charities are in
driving seat, leading article, page 33Quentin Letts
General Gove parks his
tanks on Patel’s lawn
M
ichael Gove crossed
the border yesterday
and invaded Priti
Patel’s territory,
making a Commons
statement about how Ukrainian
refugees would be accommodated
by British families. The secretary
of state for levelling up was soon
comfortably in command of areas
normally controlled by the home
secretary and her “loyal officials”
(as they almost certainly are not).
A source close to General Govemurmured: “We expected more
resistance.”
The afternoon session was not
without its snipers. Several Labour
MPs were determined to be
disgusted by Gove’s policy, which
has been given the stirring name
Homes For Ukraine (perhaps
designed to echo Homes For
Heroes). Its website went live just as
Gove approached the dispatch box.
The shadow minister, Lisa Nandy,
huffily dismissed the new scheme as
“a press release” and compared it
disobligingly to the “moving,
heart-warming” response of the
public. At this point Nandy touched
her chest, to stress her own
emotional connection with the issue.
Moments later Nandy dropped thePolitical Sketch