Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of equalising the payments being made to families in the UK assisting Ukrainians arriving under the Family Reunion Scheme with the payments being made to those accepting refugees under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

This government cares deeply about helping those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. This is why we have announced two visa schemes which both support the integration of Ukrainian refugees by providing them with full access to social services and welfare in the UK for up to three years.

The Ukraine Family Scheme is similar to existing family visa routes, and provision of public services from this route will be managed in the usual way. The UK-based family member is expected to provide support and accommodation for those coming to join them, who in turn benefit from the wider integration advantages in joining an existing family network.

Homes for Ukraine on the other hand is a unique scheme that has been set up specifically to support those escaping the conflict in Ukraine who are not able to rely on family support. The government is providing additional funding to local authorities which includes resource to enable them to carry out sponsorship-specific functions such as safeguarding checks and property checks, administering payments, as well as providing support such as English language training to help their integration into communities.