Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the killing of Qasem Soleimani on the safety of interpreters in Iraq who had previously worked for the UK armed forces; and whether her Department plans to update its visa guidance for such interpreters.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to interpreters who risk their lives working alongside UK forces.

Government supported our locally employed staff (LES) in Iraq through the Locally Employed Staff Assistance Scheme. The scheme was open to those who were direct employees of HM Forces or the Ministry of Defence (MOD), provided such staff worked in particularly close association with the UK as an integral and visible part of HMG operations, including having regular, substantial and sustained contact with UK official personnel and regular, substantial and sustained attendance at UK official sites.

The scheme was established in 2007 and administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO). The last date for applications for former LES in Iraq to relocate to the UK was 19 May 2009 and the scheme closed in 2016.

The country policy and information note on ‘perceived collaborators’ published in February 2019 reported the risk level for Iraqi interpreters as low. Our country policy and information notes are published on the gov.uk website. They are kept under constant review and updated periodically.

Our country policy and information notes are based on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the FCDO.