Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made in his discussions with the Home Secretary on enabling admittance to the UK for Afghan citizens who served as interpreters for the UK armed forces.

Her Majesty's Government has so far relocated 445 locally employed civilians who formerly served with UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan, plus 872 of their family members.

The Secretary of State for Defence and the Home Secretary recognise the importance of this issue and are committed to ensuring a fair system for the resettlement of Afghan interpreters. They met recently on 27 July 2020 to resolve outstanding issues and, on that basis, the Defence Secretary has tasked Ministry of Defence officials to consult with other Departments on potential changes to the criteria for relocation to the UK of former locally employed civilians in Afghanistan.