Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme is able to support women who remain in the country and are unable to travel unchaperoned.

The Home Office have overall responsibility for the Afghanistan Citizen Resettlement Scheme. The then Minister for Afghan Resettlement, Victoria Atkins MP, announced the opening of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) on 6 January. The scheme will prioritise those who have assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as democracy, women's rights, freedom of speech, and rule of law, and vulnerable people, including women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups at risk (including ethnic and religious minorities and LGBT+). Spouses, partners and dependent children under the age of 18 of eligible individuals will be eligible for the scheme. Other family members may be resettled in exceptional circumstances.

Since the end of Op Pitting, the Government have supported over 4,600 individuals to leave Afghanistan. We will continue to work to ensure those still in Afghanistan are able to depart the country safely.