GOVERNMENT officials admitted today  that they do not know the exact number of Ukrainian refugees left homeless after seeking safety here. 

According to the latest official figures, 660 Ukrainian households have applied to local councils in England for help with homelessness, of which 480 are families with dependent children. 

But MPs were told today that the government does not have figures on the total number of individuals these households represent. 

Answering questions from the levelling-up, housing and communities committee, civil servant Paul Morrison said the information provided by councils had not been broken down into the number of individuals. 

Earlier, Refugees Minister Lord Harrington insisted that instances where placements under the Homes for Ukraine scheme between hosts and refugees had broken down were “not of a significant number.” 

These figures are not available because there are too few to have data on it at the moment, he told the committee. 

But he acknowledged that more needed to be done to “rematch” some refugees with new hosts. 

Refugee rights groups have previously raised concerns about a lack of consistency in rematching refugees with new hosts in cases where sponsors have been found unsuitable or other problems have arisen, putting vulnerable people at risk of homelessness. 

Campaigners also expressed fears over safeguarding with the government’s new sponsorship scheme and what will happen when the six-month period in which hosts are required to house refugees comes to an end. 

Lord Harrington told the committee the government is preparing to ask hosts if they can continue housing refugees beyond the initial six-month stay.