Homes for Ukraine
Public Accounts Committee
Closed
Inquiry
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Government launched the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Under the scheme, people in the UK can act as sponsors for Ukrainian nationals and their families who are seeking refuge from the war. Individuals can be granted three-year visas to stay in …
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3
Recommendations
24
Conclusions
1
Report
1
Letter
Activity timeline 3 events
3 May
2024
2024
23 Feb
2024
2024
Report published
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukraine | HC 69 | 23 Feb 2024 | 27 | Response document linked |
Recommendations & Conclusions
27 results
2
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Increase local authority homelessness data returns and secure adequate sponsors for Homes for Ukraine scheme.
We are concerned that the risk of homelessness among Ukrainians in the UK is likely to increase as more sponsorships end or break down. There is no obligation for UK sponsors to host Ukrainian guests for the whole time they …
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HM Treasury
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3
Recommendation
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Set out actions to meet visa processing targets and publish quarterly updates on performance.
The Home Office’s failure to meet its targets for processing visas is leaving some Ukrainians facing an unacceptably long wait for decisions to be made on their applications. Initially visa turnaround times for the scheme were longer than the Home …
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HM Treasury
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4
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Explain evidence for funding decisions and ensure robust basis for future scheme interventions.
DLUHC is making decisions about future funding of the scheme without a proper understanding of how effective funding has been in supporting those taking part in the scheme to date. Local authorities initially received funding of £10,500 per arrival. Since …
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HM Treasury
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5
Recommendation
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Set out plans to evaluate Homes for Ukraine scheme, including lessons and value for money.
The scheme was set up at speed and has helped 141,200 Ukrainians come to the UK, but DLUHC does not know fully what aspects of the scheme have or have not worked and whether overall the scheme has been value …
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HM Treasury
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6
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Require DLUHC to assess commercial options for Palantir contract expiry and justify any extension.
DLUHC has not yet assessed what it will do when its current contract with Palantir to provide the scheme’s main data system ends in September 2024. In order to set the scheme up quickly, in March 2022, DLUHC accepted an …
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HM Treasury
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1
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Committee examined DLUHC and Home Office evidence on Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) and the Home Office about the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.1
HM Treasury
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7
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Home Office unable to provide firm date for Homes for Ukraine visa extension decisions.
We raised our concerns about the challenges facing Ukrainians whose visas are coming to an end. We also asked the Home Office when it thought it would make a decision so it could provide reassurance to those taking part in …
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HM Treasury
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8
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Home Office initially lacked target turnaround times for Homes for Ukraine visa processing.
The Home Office is responsible for processing the visas of those applying to be part of the scheme. By January 2024 the Home Office had received 219,800 visa applications and issued 178,600 visas to people.11 The NAO found that at …
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HM Treasury
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9
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Home Office adapted visa processes for Ukrainians, streamlining biometrics collection and application.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, those applying for any type of UK visa had to attend a visa application centre to give their biometrics before they came to the UK. The Home Office told us that for obvious reasons …
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HM Treasury
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10
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Initial staff increase improved Homes for Ukraine visa processing, but turnaround times subsequently lengthened.
The Home Office also increased the number of people working on the Homes for Ukraine scheme. From a minimum of 165 staff working on the scheme in March 2022, this number grew to over 1,000 by June 2022 working across …
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HM Treasury
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11
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Technical changes, application surges, and deferred cases contributed to slower visa processing.
The NAO reported that the Home Office believed several issues contributed to slower turnaround times. These included: technical changes to the application process; an influx of applications when the Scottish Government announced it would be pausing the super sponsorship scheme; …
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HM Treasury
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12
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Home Office increased resources and staff flexibility to maintain service across visa routes.
We were concerned about the impact of processing the volume of visa applications received as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme would have on other visa routes. We therefore asked the Home Office what it was doing to ensure …
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HM Treasury
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13
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Home Office relies on resource flexibility and system standardisation to manage future visa surges.
We asked what would happen if there was a sudden surge in applications under the scheme and whether the Home Office would have sufficient capacity to support such a surge whilst maintaining standards of service in other areas of its …
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HM Treasury
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14
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
DLUHC reduced per-person funding for local authorities, assuming decreased Homes for Ukraine setup costs.
Total central government funding for the scheme was £2.1 billion by the end of September 2023. DLUHC provided £1.9 billion of the funding, of which most (£1.1 billion) had gone to local authorities to support each Ukrainian on the scheme …
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HM Treasury
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24
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
DLUHC's collected local authority spend data remains of questionable usefulness.
We questioned the usefulness of the spend data DLUHC had collected from local authorities, given it was often qualitative and provided voluntarily.19 DLUHC stressed that from the start it had needed to balance the demand for data against placing a …
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HM Treasury
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15
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
DLUHC allocated substantial funding to local authorities for homelessness prevention and Ukrainian household support.
In December 2022, DLUHC announced £650 million of funding for local authorities through a Local Authority Housing Fund, of which £500 million was to acquire housing stock, and £150 million for homelessness prevention more widely. This funding aimed to assist …
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HM Treasury
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16
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
DLUHC lacks accurate homelessness data for Ukrainian households due to incomplete local authority reporting.
The NAO found that DLUHC did not accurately know how many people on the scheme were likely to become homeless soon or had already experienced homelessness, as 30% of English local authorities regularly failed to provide homelessness data on the …
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HM Treasury
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17
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
DLUHC data inadequately tracks duration and current numbers of Ukrainian households experiencing homelessness.
DLUHC told us that it would like to avoid any of those taking part in the scheme from experiencing homelessness or the risk of homelessness, but noted that the current levels were “relatively low”.26 The NAO found that between 24 …
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HM Treasury
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18
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
DLUHC acknowledges homelessness risks for Ukrainian households, relying on existing prevention funding.
DLLUHC told us that 790 Ukrainian households taking part in the scheme were currently in temporary accommodation, and 8% were either experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness at any particular time.28 We asked DLUHC how it would respond in …
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HM Treasury
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19
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Government extended 'thank you' payments to Homes for Ukraine sponsors for a third year.
Any adult in the UK can act as a sponsor providing they pass eligibility checks conducted by the Home Office and local authorities. Sponsors are expected to offer accommodation for at least six months, although many relationships have lasted longer …
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HM Treasury
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20
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
DLUHC lacks quantifiable data on extended 'thank you' payments' impact on host relationships.
DLUHC’s initial planning assumption had been that 50% of sponsorships could breakdown, leading to homelessness.32 We asked DLUHC what impact the decision to extend thank you payments would have on sustaining sponsor-host relationships and what analysis it had done to …
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HM Treasury
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21
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
DLUHC awarded direct contract to Palantir for data system after initial pro-bono period.
At the start of the scheme, DLUHC identified a need to share data between itself, the Home Office and local authorities, including data on the subsequent movement of Ukrainians after their arrival into the UK. DLUHC chose to accept an …
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HM Treasury
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22
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
DLUHC extended Palantir contract despite concerns about non-competitive initial pro-bono arrangement.
In February 2023, the Government’s Chief Commercial Officer wrote to Palantir noting his concern about the practice of offering services to public sector customers for a zero or nominal cost to gain a commercial foothold, contrary to the principles of …
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HM Treasury
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23
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
DLUHC remains undecided on future data solution, risking procurement delays post-Palantir contract.
The current contract with Palantir is due to end in September 2024. We therefore asked DLUHC what its plans were after 2024. DLUHC told us it would look “very closely” at next steps and would take a decision at the …
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HM Treasury
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25
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
DLUHC identifies lessons and develops playbook for future emergency sponsorship schemes.
The NAO found that in early 2023, DLUHC had conducted an exercise to identify the lessons that could be learned from the scheme’s sponsorship model. That exercise included recommendations to government on the running of the current scheme, and on …
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HM Treasury
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26
Recommendation
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
DLUHC paused the planned Homes for Ukraine scheme evaluation, lacking a timeframe for completion.
We asked DLUHC whether it would be commissioning a fuller evaluation of the scheme. DLUHC had originally planned a process-focused evaluation, which it intended to complete by autumn 2023, but it paused work on this in spring 2023. DLUHC told …
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HM Treasury
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27
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Homes for Ukra…
Homes for Ukraine scheme provides better value for money despite incomplete cost calculations.
We asked DLUHC about the value for money of the scheme. DLUHC told us that it thought the cost of scheme was much lower than for other resettlement schemes. It explained that the cost per night of the accommodation was …
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HM Treasury
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Correspondence 1 letter
12 Jan 2024
Correspondence from Sarah Healey CB CVO, Permanent Secretary, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, re PAC Homes For Ukraine Oral Evidence Session: 23 November 2023, dated 7 December 2023
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