Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help ensure the safety of Afghans living in the UK, in the context of the data breach relating to the Afghan relocations and assistance policy in 2022.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Anyone potentially affected by this data incident, and whose contact details are known by the Ministry of Defence, in the UK and elsewhere, has been notified and provided with security advice. The Government has taken appropriate actions in line with the level of risk, and the recent Rimmer Review concluded that it is unlikely that those impacted by the data incident are at an increased risk.
Further information regarding the incident and the security advice can be found on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/data-incident-affecting-applicants-to-the-afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy-scheme-and-afghanistan-locally-employed-staff-ex-gratia-scheme.
More broadly, we continue to work closely with the Home Office, police, local authorities and partners to ensure that there is support and information available to keep all new Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) arrivals, including for those affected by the data incident, safe in the UK.
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to ensure the effective (a) cataloguing and (b) use of the holdings of the Russian Military Studies Centre in national security considerations.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The holdings in the Russian Military Studies Centre are an under-utilised resource. These holdings are currently being catalogued with their future provision, and access to them, subject to review.