Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) Afghan interpreters, and (2) members of their immediate family are currently awaiting (a) a decision on their relocation to the UK under the Locally Employed Staff Ex-Gratia Scheme, and (b) implementation of the decision that they may relocate to the UK under that scheme.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Department is currently examining the cases of seven former Locally Employed Staff (LES) to establish their eligibility under the Ex-Gratia Scheme, all of which are expected to be resolved by the end of April.
If the former LES member is found to be eligible then the relocation process can begin immediately. As no decision has been reached, no family details have been obtained and I am therefore unable to give numbers of family members.
There are five former LES and twenty-eight family members waiting to relocate to the UK. Three are scheduled to be relocated within the next three months and two have requested that their relocation be temporarily suspended for personal reasons.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many former Afghan interpreters to the UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan have been relocated to the UK under the Locally Employed Staff Ex-Gratia Scheme.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
As of 12 April 2019, 438 former Afghan Locally Employed Staff have been relocated to the UK. This figure includes former FCO and DFID staff and a small number who, although not interpreters, were deemed to have served outside the wire on the front line for 12 consecutive months and were made redundant, and were therefore eligible for relocation.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many family members of former Afghan interpreters to the UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan have been relocated to the UK under the Locally Employed Staff Ex-Gratia Scheme.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
As of 12 April 2019, 845 family members of former Locally Employed Staff (LES) have been relocated to the UK. This figure includes the family members of former FCO and DFID LES and the family members of a small number who, although not interpreters, were deemed to have served outside the wire on the front line for 12 consecutive months and were made redundant and were therefore eligible for relocation.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Afghan interpreters who have been relocated to the UK under the Locally Employed Staff Ex-Gratia Scheme are currently waiting for members of their family to be able to join them; for how long they have been waiting; and when they expect the family members to arrive in the UK.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Under the original terms of the Ex-Gratia Scheme, Former Locally Employed Staff (LES) who were deemed eligible for relocation to the UK were required to bring their family members with them at the same time as they themselves were relocated. For a variety of reasons, not all of them did so. 138 former LES were relocated to the UK on their own, but it is not known how many of them may have left behind family members who were eligible for relocation related to the Ex-Gratia Scheme. To join them subsequently, those family members still in Afghanistan were required to meet applicable Home Office immigration rules independently of the Ex-Gratia Scheme.
The Home Office amended the immigration rules related to the Ex-Gratia Scheme earlier this year and those changes came into effect on 6 April 2019. As of 12 April 2019, the Department has received a single application, though it is estimated that the family members of 30 former LES will be eligible. Applications will be processed as quickly as possible. Ministry of Defence officials expect the majority of family members to arrive within six months of their application.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Afghan interpreters who had worked with the British armed forces have to date been relocated in the UK under the ex gratia redundancy scheme; how many such cases are currently in the pipeline awaiting relocation; and what percentage of those eligible for the redundancy scheme have to date applied for relocation to the UK.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The UK is committed to supporting our current and former local staff in Afghanistan, and our well-established ex-gratia redundancy scheme recognises their contribution and the debt of gratitude we owe them. Eligible former staff who were made redundant as a result of the UK drawdown can choose between: an in-country package of up to five years of training along with financial support (this option can also be 'gifted' to immediate family members); a financial package of 18 months' salary; and for eligible former staff who worked in a frontline role for 12 months or more, the option to apply to relocate to the UK with their spouse and children.
As of 31 October 2017, over 380 former local staff and their families have relocated to the UK under this scheme, over 1,000 people in total. Of these, approximately 350 worked for the Ministry of Defence; the others worked for the Foreign Office or the Department for International Development. There are around 50 more former staff who are awaiting relocation. The majority of those who have relocated worked as interpreters, however some staff who worked in other roles, such as cultural advisers, have also relocated under the scheme. The vast majority of those eligible for relocation - around 90 per cent - chose this option; however, some elected to remain in Afghanistan and take up one of the other offers available under the scheme. Over 350 former staff who did not work in frontline roles, or their immediate family, have benefited from the training and finance offers.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Afghan interpreters (1) have applied for, and (2) been granted, relocation to the United Kingdom under the policy regarding intimidation.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Under Her Majesty's Government's Intimidation Policy for locally employed staff in Afghanistan staff can raise a claim of intimidation and following investigation we provide them with the most appropriate measure to mitigate any risk they may face. This can include security advice, financial support to move location within Afghanistan or relocation to the UK. Under the current policy no local staff have been relocated to the UK, and we have relocated some 30 local staff within Afghanistan.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Afghan interpreters (1) have already been relocated to the United Kingdom under the post-conflict redundancy scheme, and (2) have had their application approved and are awaiting relocation.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Over 170 former local staff have already been relocated to the UK under the Ex Gratia Redundancy Scheme along with approximately 400 family members. Over 35 more local staff have had their application approved and been granted a visa, along with their immediate family members and will be relocating to the UK in the near future.