2. To ask the Scottish Government how it can support the Sudanese community living in Scotland, in light of the on-going humanitarian crisis in Sudan. (S6O-02285)

The Scottish Government stands with the international community and communities across Scotland in our shared deep concern over the violence in Sudan. That particularly impacts the Sudanese community living in Scotland, many of whom have friends and relatives directly affected.

On 10 May, I met representatives of the Sudanese community in Scotland alongside representatives from the national health service and third sector support organisations. That meeting was a starting point for dialogue about how we can support the Sudanese community in Scotland, including ensuring that Sudanese nationals who live here are aware of the support services that they can access and, where necessary, raising issues with the United Kingdom Government.

It would be helpful if some of those signposting bits of information could be shared with colleagues, as the situation is on-going.

In my role as committee convener, I met Sudanese health workers online from across the UK, from senior staff and senior consultants to nurses and support services staff in our NHS, each a vital cog in making our NHS work. Some of their colleagues who work for the NHS were in Sudan at the time the crisis arose; others have gone back there to bring friends and family to safety, particularly elderly parents and children, and now find themselves in Egypt and Dubai, unable to obtain family visas.

The Presiding Officer:

Can we have a question, please?

Those people are vital workers in our communities. Can the cabinet secretary make representations to the Home Office about the situation?

First, Clare Adamson is absolutely right to highlight the role of Sudanese nationals and people of Sudanese descent who work in our national health service. It is important to understand quite how many there are, and they deserve our recognition and support.

Secondly, I undertake to share with the member and other MSPs the signposting information that individual MSPs might wish to share with Sudanese nationals and constituents.

As asylum and immigration are reserved matters, we will press the UK Government on them. I have written to the Foreign Secretary and the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice has written to the Home Secretary to call for safe and legal routes and arrangements for family reunion to be put in place. Those arrangements must be flexible enough to enable people who are forced to leave Sudan to safely come to the UK and join family who already have leave to remain here.

The Presiding Officer:

I will take a supplementary from Foysol Choudhury. I would be grateful for concise questions and responses.

The situation in Sudan is not improving. Almost 1 million people have been displaced just one month into the conflict, and neighbouring countries are already overwhelmed with refugees.

What discussions has the Scottish Government had with the UK Government about the possible influx of refugees coming from Sudan if the conflict continues indefinitely?

Foysol Choudhury will have heard my previous answer, in which I talked about the communication that I have had with the UK Government and my cabinet secretary colleague has had with the Home Office on that question. He is absolutely right to ask what we can do to help families come together in this time of need, and I would be happy to work with him and colleagues across the chamber to do what we can to impress on the UK Government its responsibilities to ensure that that can happen