Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Accepted
DLUHC identifies lessons and develops playbook for future emergency sponsorship schemes.
Conclusion
The NAO found that in early 2023, DLUHC had conducted an exercise to identify the lessons that could be learned from the scheme’s sponsorship model. That exercise included recommendations to government on the running of the current scheme, and on the design of any future emergency sponsorship schemes. DLUHC was also developing a ‘playbook,’ drawing primarily on the lessons from Homes for Ukraine, to aid officials in future to design any future emergency sponsorship schemes.42
Government Response Summary
The government states it is continuing its continuous evolution approach, monitoring data, undertaking lessons learned exercises, and developing an emergency sponsorship playbook with a target completion date of Spring 2025. It is also exploring options for a further value for money evaluation.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2025 5.2 The department has committed to a continuous evolution approach, refining the scheme as lessons are learnt. It continues to monitor various data and evidence across the scheme to assess progress against key milestones and metrics (as set out in the NAO Report dated October 2023), reporting regularly to the Homes for Ukraine Programme Board. This includes, analysis of LA Foundry returns, homelessness statistics, ONS surveys and LA quarterly returns as part of the LA tariff and Thank You payment assurance process which has demonstrated effective use of the funding. 5.3 The department undertook an exercise to identify the emerging lessons of the sponsorship model to inform future refugee policy and preparation. It is also developing an emergency sponsorship playbook to equip future decision makers with the key considerations for establishing a similar scheme in future. 5.4 It will continue to collect and monitor this data and is currently exploring options for a further value for money evaluation of the scheme. 5.5 It is clear, however, that Homes for Ukraine was an effective value for money approach for accommodating high numbers of Ukrainians at speed. As stated above, DLUHC looked in detail at a range of evidence to understand the value for money case for thank you payments, this showed that thank you payments are good value for money compared to the counterfactual of government support for alternative accommodation options/ homelessness support. It costs £6 to £8 per person per night to provide a Ukrainian sponsorship accommodation (based on monthly thank you payments of £350 per household in the first year, and £500 per household thereafter), which is much lower than the costs to accommodate households in hotels or temporary accommodation and lower than housing benefit costs to support private rental option.