Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the status is of the around 175 British Council contractors who have applied to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) but have so far received no answer; whether those contractors are eligible for ARAP; what the process is by which those contractors may be able to gain rapid approval under the category 4 case-by-case approvals system; how that approvals system will work; and when that approvals system will commence.

We stand by our commitment to help all Afghans who are eligible to come to the UK. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) offers resettlement for eligible Afghan staff who have assisted the UK Government, and their families, and others who have worked with the Government in exceptional circumstances. As the then Foreign Secretary confirmed to the House on 6 September, applications from British Council contractors will be considered on a case-by-case basis.