Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support people who came to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

The UK has a moral obligation to assist our Afghan friends and allies who served for, with or alongside our Armed Forces in support of UK objectives in Afghanistan. We will honour that moral duty.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) offers a range of packages for those relocated under the ARAP upon their arrival. This includes transitional accommodation on the Defence Estate, orientation and cultural awareness briefings, safeguarding, and English language support, as well as help to register to access mainstream services (such as the NHS, education, employment, and universal credit). Working with Local Authorities and other Government Departments, the MOD has also supported families in moving into settled accommodation.

This Government is fully committed to delivering on the pledge to those in Afghanistan who are eligible to relocate and resettle, and we continue to welcome these Afghans and their families to the UK through our Afghan resettlement schemes. This is why, as announced by the Secretary of State for Defence on 18 December 2024, we are launching the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), which will draw together a single pipeline for Afghan resettlement, working cross-Government, to deliver greater efficiency and better outcomes.

Further information on the resettlement offer under the ARP can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-resettlement-programme