Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he authorised the evacuation of animals within Pen Farthing's Nowzad Shelter in Afghanistan.

As stated by the Defence Secretary, at the 25 January session of the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC); a plane charted by supporters of Pen Farthing's Nowzad Shelter was given clearance to land and depart with its intended cargo in a landing slot booked by UK military air staff within the Qatar based Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC).

This clearance was given subject to; the animal's evacuation not interfering with military operations, not interfering with the evacuation of people, or requiring that they 'jump the queue'. As such their evacuation took place on 28 August once the civilian evacuation had ended and in parallel with the final stages of the military withdrawal.

The UK was clear with allies and partners, including the US, that our operation would prioritise people over animals at all stages of the evacuation, with any animal evacuation taking place only at the very last stages of military operation.