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Refugees in ferry ‘limbo’ for 5 more months

By Craig McDonald

UKRAINIAN refugees are to spend at least another five months living on board a ferry docked at Leith.

The MS Victoria I at present houses around 1,275 displaced people, including hundreds of children, and was initially chartered for six months until mid-January 2023.

Now the Scottish Government has announced a five-month extension.

Officials say they are ‘exploring all options’ over a second ferry, the MS Ambition, which is also being used to accommodate refugees, and which is currently berthed at the King George V dock near Braehead, Glasgow, until February at least.

The vessels have been hired as part of a deal worth up to £100 million with global firm Corporate Travel Management, and which also includes hotel accommodation across Scotland.

More than 21,500 Ukrainians who have a Scottish sponsor have arrived since the Russian invasion. Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the SNP Government had been ‘humiliatingly under-prepared’ to help the refugees.

He added: ‘This isn’t a new life, it’s a new limbo.

‘The Scottish Government needs to urgently equip local authorities with the resources necessary to fast-track the checking of homes which have been available for months and waiting for checks.

‘They wanted the kudos of throwing open their doors but they did none of the groundwork.’

Neil Gray, the Minister with responsibility for the refugees, said: ‘We do not want people to spend any longer than is absolutely necessary in temporary accommodation.

‘Work continues to match people in temporary accommodation with hosts and matching teams are operating on board both ships.’

He added that £50 million has been made available to bring empty properties back into use.

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