Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing Afghans resettled under the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme who were directly employed by the UK Government with Proof of Employment certificates.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
On 1 March 2025, the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme and the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will become part of the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP). The ARP is a cross-Government delivery programme which will bring existing resettlement routes into one, single pipeline. It is designed to make the delivery of Afghan resettlement simpler and more cost-effective, to help deliver better outcomes overall.
Unfortunately, it is not feasible to breakdown those relocating to the UK by job role, including those who worked directly for His Majesty’s Government, in order to issue Proof of Employment certificates. However, the Government will continue to support those Afghans who have resettled in the UK through the ARP. This includes through supporting Afghan arrivals into self-sufficiency as quickly as possible to restart their lives in the UK.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Leave Outside the Rules process for Afghan family members will remain in place.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) operates under the Immigration Rules set out under Appendix ARAP. Amendments were made to Appendix ARAP in November 2022, resulting in additional family members who are eligible and suitable for entry clearance to be granted under the Immigration Rules instead of outside the Rules.
During Operation PITTING a number of Afghan nationals were ‘called forward’ for evacuation, in addition to those who were called forward as eligible persons under the ARAP Immigration Rules but were unintentionally separated from their family members during the evacuation efforts.
The Government launched ACRS Pathway 1, Stage 2: Separated Families Route on 30 July 2024 specifically to reunite families unintentionally separated during Operation PITTING. It is now closed to referrals, and we have already begun to see arrivals and families be reunited using this route.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will establish a statutory timeframe for communicating decisions on applications submitted under the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan Family Members policy.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Every application submitted under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme is considered on a case-by-case basis taking into account the evidence available. Whilst every effort is made to process applications as quickly as possible, some complex cases can take longer to process so that the appropriate decision is reached in each case. Due to this individual approach, a statutory timeframe would not be suitable.
I am paying close attention to this issue and have asked officials to make every effort to ensure decision-making is accelerated wherever possible, in particular for cases that have been awaiting an answer for some time.
This approach remains unchanged following the announcement of the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), which draws Afghan resettlement into a single delivery pipeline whilst retaining the current eligibility criteria of individual schemes such as ARAP.
We inherited a considerable backlog in applications to process as the new Government and I am aware that people have been waiting longer than I would want for an outcome of an application. Therefore, I have directed officials to ensure that this backlog is cleared at pace whilst ensuring every case is processed correctly.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications for additional family members seeking to resettle in the UK to join a principal who has already been resettled via the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) ex-Gratia scheme for Afghan interpreters are under consideration; and what proportion of these have been pending for more than six months.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As of 12 February 2025, there are 1,062 outstanding Additional Family Member (AFM) applications from individuals who have already been resettled under the current and previous Afghan resettlement schemes administered by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Of these, 502 have been pending for more than six months.
Whilst every effort is made to process applications as quickly as possible, each application is considered on a case-by-case basis taking into account the evidence available. The MOD has received over 170,000 separate ARAP applications, some of which are duplicates or erroneous, but all require individual deliberation. Within this, certain cases are particularly complex and can take longer to process in order to reach the appropriate outcome.
We inherited a considerable backlog in applications to process as the new Government and I am aware that people have been waiting longer than I would want for an outcome of an application. Therefore, I have directed officials to ensure that this backlog is cleared at pace whilst ensuring every case is processed correctly.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many requests for a review of negative decisions on Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy applications are awaiting resolution; and what proportion of these have been under review for more than six months.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As of 12 February 2025, there are 3,467 outstanding requests for a review of a negative decision on an Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) principal or Additional Family Member (AFM) application. Of these, 1,604 have been pending for more than six months.
Whilst every effort is made to process applications as quickly as possible, each application is considered on a case-by-case basis taking into account the evidence available. The Ministry of Defence has received over 170,000 separate ARAP applications, some of which are duplicates or erroneous, but all require individual deliberation. Within this, certain cases are particularly complex and can take longer to process in order to reach the appropriate outcome.
We inherited a considerable backlog in applications to process as the new Government and I am aware that people have been waiting longer than I would want for an outcome of an application. Therefore, I have directed officials to ensure that this backlog is cleared at pace whilst ensuring every case is processed correctly.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to ensure that vulnerable Afghan family members are included in any new resettlement scheme.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government announced in December 2024 the launch of the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), a cross-Government programme that will bring existing Afghan resettlement schemes into one single pipeline. Whilst this is not a new resettlement scheme, it will ensure we support those eligible Afghans and their family members, including those who are vulnerable, to rebuild their lives in the UK.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was for maintaining his Department's properties classified as void in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Information on the cost of maintaining Service Family Accommodation (SFA) on Ministry of Defence (MOD) properties classed as void prior to 2014-15 is not held.
For 2014-15 the cost was £5.590 million and for 2015-16 the cost was £5.714 million. This covers the standard cost of retaining SFA when it is vacant, regardless of whether any maintenance is required.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans for the disposal of his Department's vacant properties in the UK.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is developing an ambitious programme of estate rationalisation which will provide a plan for a smaller, but significantly better Defence estate to meet the needs of the Armed Forces as set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. This strategic review of the Defence estate will provide a more efficient and better infrastructure laydown in support of military capability for future generations. The MOD expects to announce the final results of this review in the autumn. When the MOD no longer has a requirement for vacant properties they will be disposed of in accordance with the standard disposal procedure.
The MOD is also reducing the number of voids by leasing out vacant properties from directly renting to the general public and through other organisations. A number of properties are also vacant awaiting the return of remaining Army personnel and families from Germany over the next three years who will require accommodation.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's target is for the proportion of its properties that are classified as void.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) target for the proportion of Service Family Accommodation properties classified as void is 10 per cent which allows the MOD to facilitate moves in and out of each area, support short notice requirements and allow for upgrades to take place.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was for (a) management of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation estate of Service Family Accommodation (SFA), (b) the maintenance of SFA and (c) improvements to SFA in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The cost for the management of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation estate of Service Family Accommodation (SFA), the maintenance of SFA and the improvements to SFA, by financial year (FY), can be found within the table below.
| FY 2012-13 | FY 2013-14 | FY 2014-15 | FY 2015-16 | Totals |
| £ million | £ million | £ million | £ million | £ million |
Management of DIO Estate | 20.6 | 15.7 | 20.4 | 18.8 | 75.5 |
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Maintenance of SFA | 42 | 39.9 | 41.1 | 40.9 | 164.5 |
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Improvements | 64.5 | 96.3 | 65.9 | 56.7 | 283.4 |
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Totals | 127.1 | 151.9 | 127.4 | 117.4 | 523.8 |