Homes for Ukraine Scheme: FOI release

Information requested

1. How many hosts have renewed their original 6 month agreement with the Homes for Ukraine scheme? Please also give this as a percentage of all hosts who reached the end of their original agreement.
2. How many hosts at the end of their 6 month agreement have indicated that they will be ending their involvement with the Homes for Ukraine scheme? Please also give this as a percentage of all hosts who reached the end of their original agreement.
3. How many hosts joined the scheme each month from the 14th March 2022 to the 14th February 2023? Please split these numbers into the month in which they joined, for example, 1357 from 14th March- 14th April 2022, 8726 from 14th April to 14th May 2022 and onwards.
4. How many applicants have there been in total for the scheme?
5. How many applicants have had their applications rejected due to failing a DBS or security check?

Response

1. How many hosts have renewed their original 6 month agreement with the Homes for Ukraine scheme? Please also give this as a percentage of all hosts who reached the end of their original agreement.
   Scottish Government Response - While we strive to provide information wherever possible, in this case an exemption under Section 17(1) of FOISA applies, as the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
2. How many hosts at the end of their 6 month agreement have indicated that they will be ending their involvement with the Homes for Ukraine scheme? Please also give this as a percentage of all hosts who reached the end of their original agreement.
   Scottish Government Response - While we strive to provide information wherever possible, in this case an exemption under Section 17(1) of FOISA applies, as the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

3. How many hosts joined the scheme each month from the 14th March 2022 to the 14th February 2023? Please split these numbers into the month in which they joined, for example, 1357 from 14th March- 14th April 2022, 8726 from 14th April to 14th May 2022 and onwards.
   Scottish Government Response - A partial answer to your question can be found in official statistics published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC): https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-visa-data-by-country-upperand- lower-tier-local-authority and by the Scottish Government, as reported by the local authorities between 23 November 2022 to 30 January 2023: https://www.gov.scot/publications/ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-in-scotland-expressions-of-interest-data-reconciliation-exercise-february- 2023/.
   
   In Scotland, sponsors can either choose to host under Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme sponsored by a named and known individual (also known as Individual Sponsor Scheme) or host via Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme sponsored by the Scottish Government (also known as Scottish Super Sponsor Scheme).

• Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme sponsored by a named and known individual (also known as Individual Sponsor Scheme):
  
  Under the current constitutional arrangements in the United Kingdom immigration is fully reserved to the UK Government. Scottish Government does not collect information on individual sponsors or displaced people from Ukraine entering the United Kingdom via this route. Therefore, an exemption under section 17(1) applies. This information should be requested from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
  
  However, in the absence of the data on individual sponsor numbers, the numbers of visas issued to displaced people from Ukraine coming to the UK on a visa sponsored by an individual in Scotland, as well as the relevant arrival numbers can be used as a proxy. According to the DLUHC publication on 1 March 2023 (with the data as at 28 February 2023) there were around 5,575 visas issued to displaced people from Ukraine entering the UK on a visa sponsored by an individual in Scotland, of which around 4,449 have arrived into the UK. Given that an individual can sponsor multiple displaced people from Ukraine the number of individual sponsors will be less than the number of the visas issued.
  
  It is important to note that the number of arrivals into the UK is not necessarily reflective of the persons having arrived at the sponsors’ location. An individual, arriving on a visa sponsored by a Scottish sponsor, may arrive elsewhere in the UK and decide to remain there.
• Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme sponsored by the Scottish Government (also known as Scottish Super Sponsor Scheme):
  
  Displaced people from Ukraine who are sponsored by the Scottish Government are matched to suitably checked individuals and properties who have volunteered themselves through the expression of interest application or the offer to host application (after 28 November 2022).
• For individuals who volunteered to host under the expressions of interest process please refer to the statistics published by the Scottish Government on the expressions of interest data reconciliation exercise as per data returns submitted by the local authorities between 23 November 2022 to 30 January 2023: https://www.gov.scot/publications/ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-inscotland- expressions-of-interest-data-reconciliation-exercise-february-2023/.
  
  Based on data returns from all 32 local authorities in Scotland between 23 November 2022 and 30 January 2023, there were around 10,445 properties identified in the audit of which around 3,290 properties were cleared for hosting. Around 1,510 properties were matched with a guest since the scheme began and around 3,010 displaced people from Ukraine were matched to hosts who submitted an expression of interest.
• The Scottish Government initiative, offer to host, which launched on 28 November 2022, allows people to volunteer a place to stay for displaced people from Ukraine and replaces the previous expressions of interest process initiated by UK government. Offer to host aims to improve both the user experience for hosts and the efficiency of the overall service, by collecting all information required in a single step and passing it on to local authorities for hosts checks shortly after submission. The expressions of interest data reconciliation exercise publication referenced above includes data on the expressions of interest process only, and does not include hosts/ properties that have come through the offer to host process.
  
  Scottish Government are currently reviewing data and analysis on the offer to host initiative. Analysis of the data on hosts and properties that have come through the offer to host process is currently under development. An exemption under section 27(1) of FOISA applies to the information requested because we intend to publish that information by within 12 weeks of the date of your request. We consider that it is reasonable to withhold the information until that date, rather than release this information before the planned publication date.

4. How many applicants have there been in total for the scheme?
   Scottish Government Response - Given that all other questions in this request refer to hosts, we assume that this question also refers to hosts rather than to displaced people from Ukraine. See answer to question three of this request.
5. How many applicants have had their applications rejected due to failing a DBS or security check?
   Scottish Government Response - Using Scottish Government data from the expressions of interest data reconciliation exercise which covers the period between November 2022 and January 2023, there were 120 expressions of interest where at least one of the necessary Disclosure checks were failed. Please note that an single expression of interest might require more than one disclosure check if multiple adults will be living in the hosted property. In order to disclosure control the data, this figure has been rounded to the nearest 5.
   
   This number is different from the 25 properties with 'other checks failed' for a given reason why property checks had not been carried out, as published in the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme in Scotland: expressions of interest data reconciliation exercise – February 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). This difference is because ‘other checks failed’ relates only to properties which have not had a property check, whereas most local authorities do a property check prior disclosure check.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.