Stone says Ukrainian refugees in far north and other parts of the UK need to be 'properly supported'
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UKRAINIAN refugees in the far north and other parts of the country need to be "properly supported," according to Caithness, Sutherland and easter Ross MP, Jamie Stone.
He has called for a dedicated telephone line and team to be set up in the Department of Work and Pensions to help those trying to access Universal Credit.
The Liberal Democrat politician stressed that the UK Government website says Ukrainian refugees – fleeing the war in their homeland following the Russian invasion of the country – should be able to access the system immediately. However, Mr Stone said many in the far north are experiencing difficulties accessing this support. Language barriers and lack of understanding of the unique positioning of Ukrainian refugees have been cited as issues when attempting to access Universal Credit, he stated.
The MP raised the issue in the House of Commons this week and called on the government to address the issue. He said: "If the UK is serious about supporting Ukrainians in the war effort against Russia, we need to make sure those that make it here are properly supported. Not only is this necessary for the livelihoods of refugees here in the UK, but also for the morale of those fighting the brave fight in Ukraine. To know your family are safe and cared for takes a huge burden off the shoulders of those who truly cannot afford to have such worries weighing them down."
He added: "If Ukrainians are facing difficulty accessing the support due to them, the Government must establish a dedicated telephone line and team within the DWP to deal with these specific cases. By re-distributing the workload, this may also have a positive knock-on effect to help ease other Universal Credit claim backlogs, meaning all claimants could benefit."
Home Office data show that as 16 of August 2022, there were a total of 206,000 applications received under the Ukraine visa schemes – 57,700 were under the Ukraine Family Scheme with 148,300 under the Ukraine sponsorship scheme.
