Will the First Minister provide an update of the work of the Welsh Government in implementing recommendation 3 of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee's report, ‘I Used to be Someone’, and advise specifically how he is working with the UK Government to tackle destitution amongst asylum seekers coming to Wales?
We have asked the UK Government not to roll out the ‘Right to Rent’ checks in Wales until it resolves the discrimination issues evidenced in England. If ‘Right to Rent’ is rolled out in Wales, we will update Rent Smart Wales landlords training to ensure that landlords fully understand their responsibilities and the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.
The draft ‘Nation of Sanctuary Refugee & Asylum Seeker Plan’ includes a commitment to explore destitution issues further. Welsh Government officials are working with the Welsh Refugee Council, British Red Cross, Asylum Matters, City of Sanctuary and other partners to scope options to support those in, or at risk of, destitution. Any approach would need to be designed carefully to ensure that it meets the needs of the most vulnerable but does not become quickly overwhelmed with applications or added to the UK Government’s list of Public Funds which asylum seekers would be unable to access. We continue to discuss any proposals to tackle destitution with the UK Government to prevent this from happening.