Item 6 this afternoon is the statement by the Minister for Social Justice on Refugee Week, 19-25 June—compassion. I call on the Minister, Jane Hutt, to make the statement.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Next week marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Refugee Week and we will once again celebrate the contributions sanctuary seekers make to Wales. Refugee Week brings together people from all backgrounds to create better understanding within our communities and promote integration and equality for all.

Refugee Week reminds us of the courage and resilience of those who must leave their family, friends and home to escape persecution or war. We continue to hear brutal stories of the effect of Putin's illegal actions in Ukraine, as a stark and high-profile example of this, and we continue to stand strong with the Ukrainian people. But many of those forced to flee to the UK are also being persecuted simply for being who they are, and sanctuary seekers often have harrowing and complex histories of abuse precipitating their arrival here.

This year's theme is 'compassion'. Compassion has long been a part of Welsh culture. In 1914, 16,000 people crossed the channel in one day to escape the horrors of the first world war. Wales welcomed 4,500 Belgians fleeing that conflict. From the 1930s, Jewish refugees arrived in the UK fleeing the racial and religious hatred that ultimately culminated in the Holocaust. Aberystwyth University has recently undertaken excellent research documenting the experiences of the Kindertransport children in Wales.

More recently, in 2016, every Welsh local authority provided sanctuary for Syrians needing to come to Wales. In 2021, we worked hard to support evacuations from Afghanistan, forging a pioneering approach with Urdd Gobaith Cymru, local key stakeholders and the UK Government to ensure we could accommodate sanctuary seekers in the shadow of this very building. We believe around 1,000 to 2,000 Hong Kongers have come to Wales fleeing the Chinese state's national security law since the new visa pathway was opened in 2021.

Since February 2022, our nation of sanctuary vision has reached significant new heights. For the first time ever, the Welsh Government has directly sponsored the visas of 3,100 Ukrainians who have travelled to the UK, with 1,500 individuals with visas remaining outside the UK but having the peace of mind of knowing that they can come to safety if they need to. More importantly still, Welsh households have thrown open their doors and their hearts to those needing to escape. Over 3,600 Ukrainians came to the UK, sponsored by Welsh individuals, and many more households are hosting Ukrainians informally. Households have put into practice the vision we have for Wales, and this has truly been the nation of sanctuary in action.

I can update today that £8 million has been confirmed by the UK Government for Wales to support Ukrainian integration, and Ukrainians can continue to use their driving licences for the duration of their stay in the UK.

Dirprwy Lywydd, as this brief summary shows, across waves of resettlement, Welsh communities, local government, third sector and other key partners have worked tirelessly to support asylum seekers coming to Wales from all over the globe. Wales has shown, time and again over the last century and more, that there is a welcome in the hillside. Of course, despite our pride in these immense efforts, there’s more to be done to support those arriving and the communities that receive them. We're very alert to the rise of the far right, and we know that Wales is not immune to the hatred and intolerance we've seen elsewhere. Even here we’ve seen protests outside accommodation sites, and I want to reiterate clearly that there is no home for hate in Wales.

We are privileged to offer sanctuary to those who arrive in Wales. In January 2019, we launched our nation of sanctuary plan and, since then, I've been truly heartened by the response across Wales. The city of sanctuary charter has guided organisations in many sectors, supporting the overarching nation of sanctuary vision. Next week, I'll meet schools that have achieved school of sanctuary status, including children from two schools in Cardiff. I'm welcoming them on the steps of the Senedd to welcome them as part of the walk of peace. And I'd like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the schools, colleges, universities, towns and cities of sanctuary in Wales for the dedication and enthusiasm that has been shown in their time as pillars of sanctuary within their communities. I applaud the work of the City of Sanctuary charity that supports and endorses these organisations in Wales.

We know there is more to be done to support people seeking sanctuary, and that is why I've committed to refreshing our nation of sanctuary plan this year. We will work closely with partners, including sanctuary seekers, public authorities and the third sector, to ensure the revised plan sets a clear framework for improvement in the coming years.

We've seen many stories this year about small boat crossings, and whilst I agree that perilous journeys like this must be avoided, it is inaccurate to claim that the UK Government's current plans are the only way to address this issue. Although crossings increased in 2021 and 2022, a large part of the reason for accommodation being overwhelmed is the Home Office's processing delays. Over 130,000 cases across the UK are waiting, pending an initial decision. This means people who are often highly skilled and motivated to contribute to our economy and integrate with communities are left waiting in limbo for years.

The compassionate thing to do would be to process claims far more quickly and allow the right to work where claims take longer than six months. We, as a Government, have called on numerous occasions for safe routes to be established, so that people can legally claim asylum in the UK, putting an end to the waste of human potential for those already here. And I've already set out a more compassionate way in a written statement on 31 March. I hope all Members will agree that such an approach is necessary for a nation of sanctuary.

We’re seeking urgent improvement from UK Government in relation to each of the asylum and dispersal schemes operating in Wales. I'm meeting with the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to discuss Afghan hotel closures, and I've written to the UK Minister for Immigration to seek better engagement and respect for devolution under the asylum system.

Finally, I want to just note that 22 June marks 75 years since HMT Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury, the moment that symbolises the Windrush generation. Those arriving on the Windrush and the ships that followed were not fleeing war or persecution, they were invited to come to the UK. It is essential that the UK Government reverses its decision to renege on implementing the Windrush lessons learned review recommendations, or else soundbites about 'seeing the face behind the case' will ring entirely hollow. However, like sanctuary seekers, the Windrush generation brought skills, talent, new ideas and hard work to enrich our communities. Their stories are Welsh stories, and they have helped make us who we are as a nation today. Deputy Llywydd, we have allocated funding for Windrush events to take place throughout Wales, with a celebration here in the Senedd on 22 June. Diolch yn fawr.

Refugee Week falls on 19 June to 25 June. As we've already heard, 2023 also marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Refugee Week. Refugee Week is the world's largest arts and culture festival, celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary, founded in 1998 in the UK and held every year around World Refugee Day on 20 June. The theme of Refugee Week 2023, as we've heard, is compassion, chosen in the belief that, together, we can create a shared understanding of compassion to ensure we're extending it widely to all.

Responding to your previous statements on both Ukraine and the nation of sanctuary, I repeatedly raised the issue of housing, and proposed modular housing as part of the solution, as across the water in Ireland. In your response to me on 9 May, you referred to the need to remove our Ukrainian guests into longer term accommodation, some of which is modular accommodation developed across Wales. So, what, if any, specific allocation is being provided for refugees?

Further, now that the £150 million fund to help Ukrainians into their own homes has been formally announced by the UK Government, including the £8 million for Wales that you referred to, will the Minister confirm how this will be allocated and whether it will be distributed via the Welsh Government and/or to councils to help Ukrainian families into private rented accommodation and find work, as in England? 

As I restated to you in my reply on 9 May,

'we've long provided a safe haven for victims of persecution, violence, ethnic cleansing and genocide from across the world, and long may that remain the case, because if we ever lose that, we'll have lost our humanity and true identity.'

In this context, how does the Minister respond to this week's report from the Home Affairs Committee in the UK Parliament—cross party, but chaired by a Labour MP—which found little evidence to indicate significant numbers of Albanian nationals at risk in their own country and requiring asylum in the UK, although, and this is critical,

'some Albanian citizens making asylum claims will have been trafficked, and women are disproportionately at risk from this form of crime. The UK has an obligation to support trafficking victims and they should only be returned to Albania if appropriate safeguards are in place'? 

How do you respond to the deal announced last Thursday to overhaul the EU's asylum processes—clearly, we're not part of them, but they're on our borders—ensuring that certain asylum seekers get processed immediately at the border, making it easier to return those whose applications are rejected, and allowing countries to stop processing people at the border if they reach a certain limit?

Responding to you on 9 May, I referred to concerns raised by residents of Northop Hall, Flintshire, over plans to house 400 single male asylum seekers in the former Northop Hall country house hotel, where the chair of Northop Hall community council had stated:

'400 single males will increase the total population of the village by 25 per cent. I can't believe there will not be a drain on community facilities which are already over extended.'

With only three bus services in the village daily, people would have nowhere to go.

In your response, you stated that, although the Welsh Government is not responsible

'for the procurement and provision of accommodation for those who are dispersed to Wales', this will have to go through the planning process in Wales, and you were in dialogue with the UK Government regarding the dignity and respect that should be accorded to asylum seekers fleeing war and persecution. Later this month, at their request, I'll be meeting the Northop Hall Village Action group, for them to brief me on what is being proposed for their village and on their concerns about inadequate infrastructure and that this is the wrong place for asylum seekers to be placed while they're being screened. So, what message would you like me to give them regarding your engagement with this, as the Minister here?

When I last visited Mold Jobcentre Plus, I learned about the great work they were doing supporting Ukrainians keen to work and contribute. In this context, can you provide an update on English for speakers of other languages courses—ESOL—and on the transferability of their qualifications to Wales?

Finally, you conclude by referring to the Windrush generation. With 22 June marking 75 years since HMT Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury, let us therefore remember that their arrival marked a seminal moment in Britain's history and has come to stand for the rich diversity of the UK family of nations. Diolch.

Diolch yn fawr, Mark Isherwood, and thank you for acknowledging the history of Refugee Week. It is the twenty-fifth anniversary of Refugee Week, and recognising the importance of the theme of compassion.

Just picking up as many points as I can from your questions, in terms of the move-on, which is progressing at speed—the move-on of our Ukrainian guests who come to Wales—it is encouraging to see the latest figures. Latest figures show that of those arriving under the supersponsor route, over 1,700 have now moved on into longer term accommodation, with over 1,000 of those settling within Wales. It is very important—and this was acknowledged earlier on in relation to the response to the international relations statement—that move-on and support for our guests—indeed, for all our asylum seekers and refugees—is very much a part of the team Wales approach, working with local authorities to play their part.

Can I say today, again, thank you to our local authorities in Wales—and I'm sure you would join me, and Members would join me in that—for delivering that Ukrainian humanitarian response, and for the fact that we have made funding available, through the transitional accommodation capital programme, made available as a result of the Minister for Climate Change's initiative, to ensure that there are investments in transitional accommodation? Nine hundred and thirty-six properties were funded under the transitional accommodation capital programme—additional homes funded for this year and into next year. And it's a range of accommodation solutions across Wales, not just modular housing, but also bringing void or mothball properties back into use, converting buildings, demolition, and new build as well. It is important that we see this in the context of the findings of the Local Government and Housing Committee report on housing Ukrainian refugees, which was published earlier on this year, and the fact that the Welsh Government has committed to support the move, particularly the move-on into longer term accommodation, with an additional £40 million investment over the next financial year.

There are important points that you raise in your questions about the fact that we have an asylum and resettlement policy, which I do not believe can succeed unless we have, as I've laid out, those safe and legal routes. Indeed, the Home Secretary has said herself the asylum system is broken. But, if it's to change, it's the UK Government that's got to reverse its hostile environment strategy and develop those sufficient safe and legal routes for asylum seekers. And to claim asylum from outside the UK is to negate that need for perilous journeys and disrupt the business model of people smugglers, which is still obviously having an impact in relation to the questions that you raise, and it does include those from Albania.

As we were saying, if we have safe and legal routes, that would include effective return agreements for those with invalid claims. But exceptional process is crucial for us as a nation of sanctuary, to ensure asylum can still be claimed within the UK in exceptional circumstances, and processes that function efficiently. I think that's where we need to break the business model of people traffickers and smugglers. I do welcome the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee's recommendations, including a proposal for a pilot processing facility in Wales. Why is the UK Government not working and spending their money and resources, and policy, on those safe and legal routes, and also looking at the asylum system in terms of the unacceptable delays? There are 160,000 cases pending decision. This is where we also look to what this actually means now in terms of the handling and the management of what is contingency accommodation for asylum seekers.

I think it's really important we don't comment on specific sites proposed for asylum accommodation, but we know that the issues that are arising as a result of proposals coming forward are as a result of a lack of engagement or clarity from the Home Office, a lack of multi-agency engagement, which is crucial in order to ensure that we can welcome and integrate. Because we do support the ambition of widening asylum dispersal in Wales, and it is the Welsh Government and Welsh local authorities that are working together to deliver this. But we cannot do this unless the Home Office works constructively with us. As I said, I've written to Robert Jenrick about this to seek a better way of working in Wales, and also working with Welsh local authorities as far as this is concerned. 

Also, it's in my statement that the UK Government should recognise its dependency on devolved Governments and the role of devolved nations and their local authorities to adequately deliver its various schemes and acknowledge their longstanding support. Again, I would say—as I said previously, Mark—we won't comment on matters relating to planning, but what we call on from the UK Government is better effective engagement and recognition that they have the responsibilities that they have. They have been derelict in their responsibilities in terms of the asylum system for so long.

I want to associate myself and Plaid Cymru wholly with the comments made by the Minister regarding the fact that asylum seekers and refugees are not statistics or a media topic but people, all of whom have had difficult journeys and experiences. They are our brothers and sisters, ein brodyr a'n chwiorydd. Compassion, the theme of this year's Refugee Week, is defined as a feeling of pity, of sympathy and of understanding for someone who is suffering. To act on that compassion is the basis of all humanitarian action.

Following Russia's barbaric and illegal invasion of Ukraine and millions forced to flee their homes, many Governments and ordinary people across the world embraced the challenge of providing sanctuary for this new group of refugees in their nations, including, of course, here in Wales. And Minister, I echo your thanks to the local authorities, organisations like Urdd Gobaith Cymru, and families and communities throughout Wales for the welcome they've provided. But this collective and impressive demonstration of compassion for Ukrainian refugees has also revealed much about the nature and limits of this compassion. We have seen tensions and questions arise about the way we treat some types of refugees as opposed to others. Some are being viewed by some politicians and the press as more deserving than others. 

The Arithmetic of Compassion project aims to raise awareness of how this occurs, and its effect on our humanitarian decision making. The researcher and co-creator of the project, University of Oregon psychologist Paul Slovic, has shown that the larger the number of people that are in need, the less inclined we often feel to help them. Dr Slovic says our feelings engage most strongly when one person is in distress. Two people in distress doesn't concern us twice as much. Once we get up to the tens of thousands, they're just numbers. Researchers like Dr Slovic say we need to understand this response that our compassion for large numbers of people in trouble shrinks when we start to feel overwhelmed, to ensure all those in need of our compassion and support receive our compassion and support. 

The rhetoric of Conservative Members both here in Wales and in Westminster has fuelled rather than aimed to combat this emotion-driven response—shamefully, and for cynical political ends. The UK Government's cruel policies against refugees show no compassion, from housing refugees in prison-style barges and disused military camps, to forcing asylum seekers to share cramped hotel rooms, or eventual deportation to Rwanda—there is seemingly no bottom to this barrel. The recent plans announced, without consultation, to accommodate 200 asylum seekers across 77 rooms in the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli is an example of policy not led by compassion, but by an inhumane approach to others’ situations. No empathy, no understanding, no support.

Plaid Cymru shares the aim for Wales to become a nation of sanctuary, and we’re wholly committed to easing the experience of migrants and people seeking asylum. Carmarthenshire has always been a welcoming authority, and this has been exemplified in their support for many resettlement programmes, including, as you mentioned, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and now general asylum seekers. However, as the Welsh Refugee Council and Carmarthenshire council have stated, placing refugees in hotels is not a suitable option. It is their needs that must be central to the question here, and Plaid Cymru condemns the undermining of their ability to feel welcome and play a full role in the community by use of measures like these.

So, does the Minister agree that the UK Government has failed to engage adequately with local authorities and the Welsh Government and the needs of refugees and asylum seekers with plans like these, and that it’s completely lacking in compassion? And what assurance is the Welsh Government receiving from the UK Government regarding the well-being of refugees and asylum seekers within these types of plans? Would a number of sites within the community with ways to access key services be a more effective way of accommodating those who we are trying to help and those who are trying to help them? And is there scope for the Welsh Government to call on the UK Government to enter into dialogue with the Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association to try and find an all-Wales solution where we can develop a more dispersed model of supporting asylum seekers and refugees?

And finally, does the Minister agree with the need for immigration to be devolved, so that Wales can adhere to its goal of being a nation of sanctuary? No amount of refreshing our nation of sanctuary plan while we are tied to Westminster Governments of every colour is going to achieve that. They are going to always sacrifice compassion on the altar of electoral gain.

Diolch yn fawr, Sioned Williams. As you say, Wales is a nation of sanctuary. Thank you for enlightening us with that research from the University of Oregon. I look forward to looking at that. We have to learn from the evidence of how we can be truly a nation of sanctuary, even with the limits of our powers, but we will take more responsibility over and above our powers. We know that. We want to do all we can to provide that warm welcome in the short term, and ensure that our communities are enriched by skills and experience in the very near future. It has been so extraordinary in terms of the history in Wales of that welcome in the last decade or so. I have also talked about the welcome for our Syrian, Afghan and Ukrainian refugees in enriching communities, households, schools, all the sectors. And isn’t it important? This is something that I really want to endorse today.

The City of Sanctuary UK charity, which actually has come under attack from Welsh Conservatives, actually has schools, universities, colleges, towns, communities all over Wales signing up to it, and also, in England, Conservative councils as well, and the local authorities network. I condemn that attack, because that stirs up misunderstanding about the charter. Again, I draw attention to it in my statement, because we applaud this—this is a charity that is working so hard—because it actually enables people to understand the great strength of being a nation of sanctuary at every level. I hope colleagues will join me in welcoming these schools. St Mary the Virgin school down the road, a Church in Wales school, which is very integrated, multifaith, has got a whole week of events, and it’s just on our doorstep, and some of them will be coming. They are actually celebrating the fact that they have a school of sanctuary award, and we should be celebrating them here today, as I’m sure we will.

But I just want to say, in terms of your point, this is about the fact that we are held back by the UK Government, by the Home Office, particularly in terms of how we support asylum seekers who’ve been placed in contingency hotels in Wales. They’ve arrived either directly, or they will be arriving, from the Manston processing centre or another contingency hotel in London. They're not in receipt of any formal support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. They are provided with meals. Eight pounds a week they are provided with in support for basic supplies, and that payment has been continued, but not everyone is provided with that funding. The British Red Cross, the Welsh Refugee Council—we support both those organisations, we fund them—have been helping them.

This is where your response and questions to me are so important in terms of the responsibility that we have. We are taking those responsibilities with our local authorities to ensure that we can do our best in terms of these circumstances. But unless the Home Office work constructively on a multi-agency basis with our local authorities, with the health boards, with the police as well, the third sector—they're all there waiting, wanting to engage in order to play their part—then we will have this rise of tension and lack of community cohesion.

But I thank you for those comments, for your support for what we're doing, and I do, again, urge all Members in this Chamber to recognise that this is a failure of the UK Government immigration policies. We will do what we can in terms of our powers, our responsibilities, our funding, as we have done, for everyone who seeks help and is welcome here in Wales.

I very much support Wales as a nation of sanctuary, and I'm pleased to say that it has been embraced by Newport City Council, local schools and local communities. Newport is diverse and home to a significant number of asylum seekers and refugees. I'm sure, Minister, you would agree with me that we should be grateful to those hosting people fleeing conflict and persecution, for example the family in Langstone in my constituency who are providing refuge to a young Ukrainian woman and are very positive about the experience. As well as very much cherishing their friendship with her, the family are very positive about the experience for their own daughters—as they say, giving them greater appreciation of all they have, improving their social skills, having learnt to share their home with another person outside of their immediate family, teaching them empathy and compassion, and how even a small act of kindness can have a significant impact. They are so pleased they were able to help this young Ukrainian woman, and will always consider her as part of their family.

Diolch yn fawr, John Griffiths. I don't really have to respond more than to say that your statement has been very powerful. I do congratulate Newport for being a city of sanctuary, and I look forward to coming and visiting a school in Maindee next week. 

On Friday evening, I will be presenting awards to the local refugee group and the winners there of a poetry and literature competition. I'd like to praise and commend Powys County Council, as well as all of the other councils across Wales, who've welcomed so many refugees and have, actually, made such an effort to include them. The theme around compassion is so important this year, isn't it?

I just want to touch on age-disputed young people. This is a group that people are really anxious about and really don't cover. I worked with them for over 6 years. And I just really want to highlight how important it is for us to remember that the current Illegal Migration Bill actually says that those age-disputed young people could be locked up, which includes many victims of trafficking. Robert Jenrick, in November 2022, said 20 per cent of adults who arrived in the UK wanted to claim that they were children, and yet Home Office data last month actually showed that it was only 1 per cent—totally wrong figures, which actually joins in with the whole debate and attacks on our refugees and our asylum seekers. I hope you'll join with me, Minister, in saying how important it is that all of us have the facts correct and at our fingertips and that we support those young people, particularly age-disputed young people. Thank you. Diolch yn fawr iawn. 

Diolch yn fawr, Jane Dodds. I think all parts of Powys, but Powys council—. I'm very aware of the Hay, Brecon and Talgarth sanctuary for refugees, in terms of recognising that great warmth, support and response that we see in every part of Wales in terms of those awards that you will be giving next week.

Next week, we will have an LCM debate on the Illegal Migration Bill. You've already seen my statement. We can't support a Bill that the UN Refugee Agency has described as amounting to an asylum ban, which would breach the refugee convention. Indeed, I do draw Members' attention to the Houses of Parliament Joint Committee on Human Rights, which published their report last week. They've concluded

'that various provisions of the Bill are not compatible with the Convention or with numerous other binding legal obligations on the UK.'

Now, this is a cross-party group, across Westminster Parliament and the House of Lords, with Conservative members, with an SNP chair, and with Labour, Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru engaged. What's really important about my LCM, and our officials are already preparing for that, is we don't support any diminution of the lead role, professional role, for our social workers in assessing what's in the best interest of children. We've asked for information about training immigration officers in terms of assessing age in line with Welsh social services and, most importantly, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. There's never been a response, and we're very concerned about the fact that this could diminish our existing Welsh national duties, because we look after and treat all unaccompanied asylum-seeking children as looked-after children. It's in line with our Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, as well.

So, that's something that we will obviously be debating next week, and I know that this is something where we feel that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is being blighted by this as well as, obviously, in terms of the flouting of the UN Refugee Agency.

Language is really important here. We need to talk about people, not stats, so when we talk about people who are seeking asylum, they are often referred to as 'illegal migrants' and that's where we need to draw the separation. So, when the Tories are bringing through an illegal immigration Bill, they're doing just that, they're deliberately putting that wedge there. They're stoking tensions and creating a hostile environment, scapegoating traumatised people. That deflects then from their own failures in this space, which is, actually, to produce some safe passage, to deal with the huge backlog of asylum claims.

I know, Minister, that you're across the situation in Llanelli, and that you've met with the leader of Carmarthenshire council yesterday about the Home Office plans to place 207 vulnerable people into 77 rooms at Stradey Park Hotel, and they haven't got the proper support. So, what's happened is staff are worried about their jobs, local businesses are worried about economic knock-on effects, and residents about the lack of funding. They are legitimate concerns that can be addressed with proper communication. What is not legitimate is—

Joyce, you need to ask a question now, please.

I will do—intimidation by far-right thugs spreading misinformation and hate. We need compassion. So, can I ask you, Minister—I know you've been in touch with the UK Government over this—have you had any more information from the UK Government, or are we all supposed to just wait until they deign to give us a response?

Diolch yn fawr, Joyce Watson. Thank you very much for those key points, and we will be debating the Illegal Migration Bill. I've made quite clear our opposition to the Illegal Migration Bill. Not only does it go against the UN Refugee Agency in terms of the human rights convention, it's not compliant with it—even the Home Secretary recognised she can't say that the Bill's compliant with the human rights convention—but also, it's unworkable. It will actually continue to leave many people in limbo, it'll undermine other Home Office priorities to prevent illegal working or modern slavery within the UK.

Now, I have laid out in my statement, again, of 31 March the safe and legal routes way in which we can address—and the way in which the UK Government should be addressing—and I think it's also important for us to remember that it has been done before. The Home Office should reconsider its withdrawal from the Dubs scheme, for example. You all remember the Dubs scheme. That was a safe route prior to the UK leaving the EU, and the UK Government could reintroduce a scheme like the Dubs scheme, which is really important in terms of the questions that are being asked about vulnerable unaccompanied children. They could come to the UK safely. We've actually got a Ukraine eligible minors scheme that provides a model. That was developed by the UK Government, so they've got a model now that they could use for a more effective version of the Dubs scheme. But the number of decisions by the Home Office—in 2021, of the 50,000-plus applications, only 1,400-plus initial decisions were made. So, it's no surprise that there's a lack of available dispersal, accommodation and bed spaces available. And yet, they come up with schemes such as the scheme in terms of the so-called Rwanda scheme, which is just immoral, I think, as the Archbishop of Canterbury has described it, who's actually leading the amendments in the House of Lords against the Illegal Migration Bill. That's the sort of moral horror that has been described about the Illegal Migration Bill.

But I will say that I'm doing everything I can to work with the authorities who are engaged in those particular circumstances that you and other Members have revealed today, because of the failure of the UK Government to deal with this appropriately and responsibly.

Minister, diolch for your statement today, and I echo the comments of my colleague Sioned Williams. I'd like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to someone who you know very well and I know very well, and I speak, of course, of our friend, the Reverend Aled Edwards. He has recently retired from his role at Cytûn and as a board member and previous chair of Displaced People in Action, and I was privileged enough to be able to work alongside him in both those roles.

His commitment, compassion and dedication to the plight of refugees and asylum seekers over the decades has been immeasurable. One of the key achievements of his time at DPIA was the development of the refugee doctor scheme, and you helped develop that scheme. The success of the project has been to aid over 200 refugee doctors from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan into work within our NHS.

I'm sure that you'd want to say a heartfelt 'diolch' to Aled for his hard work, and I wonder if a fitting tribute to that hard work and the hard work of the DPIA would be to develop the award scheme to encompass other professional refugees and asylum seekers. Since the last time I talked to you about this topic, could you update us on any progress there has been to develop the scheme in the areas of dentistry, midwifery and in nursing? Diolch yn fawr.

Diolch yn fawr, Peredur. Can I join you in praise of Aled Edwards? The fantastic Aled Edwards, who, when I was the first health Minister, he came to me and said, 'Can we do something—?' This was nearly 25 years ago: 'Can we do something in terms of refugee doctors?' and he managed to develop a scheme involving higher education, language, the British Medical Association, the General Medical Council—all involved. So, all over Wales in the health service, there are refugee doctors who've come through that award scheme.

He was such a strong supporter of devolution. He wanted to make it work and use what powers we had, but through Displaced People in Action, he has enabled professionals. And, of course, this is very relevant to our Syrian, Afghan and Ukrainian guests, and the other professions. So, I'll come back to you with an update on that scheme.

I thank the Minister.