Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Afghan nationals with UK visas who served (a) as interpreters and (b) in other locally employed staff roles are in Afghanistan as of 6 December 2021; and what steps her Department is taking to facilitate the return of those people to the UK.
Answered by James Cleverly
At the end of Operation Pitting 311 principals called forward to Hamid Karzai Airport under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme had not been evacuated. 99 of them are now in the UK and 45 in third countries. Helping all those who want to leave Afghanistan and who are eligible to come to the UK remains a priority. The Government has made clear to the Taliban the need to ensure safe passage of those entitled to go to another country. The Joint Afghanistan Casework Unit, staffed by officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Home Office and Ministry of Defence, is taking forward the UK's commitment to resettle those eligible to come to the UK. The ARAP scheme remains open.
Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the safety from terrorism of UK citizens on holiday overseas.
Answered by Lord Hammond of Runnymede
The safety of British nationals is our overriding priority. This Government has set out a clear strategy to tackle terrorism at home and abroad. We will continue to work with our partners and in countries where terrorist groups operate in order to prevent attacks. We will continue to produce objective travel advice based upon the latest Joint Terrorism Assessment Centre security assessments to allow British people to make informed decisions about travel.