Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff who formerly worked as contractors for the British Council in Afghanistan will no longer be eligible for resettlement in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme as a result of the recently announced changes to the eligibility rules.

In August 2021 the Government evacuated British Council employees and agreed to resettle more than 50 British Council contractors. Many have already arrived in the UK with their families, and the Government continues to assist those eligible to come to the UK to do so. The Government will continue to honour its commitment to consider further British Council contractors for resettlement. As Victoria Atkins MP announced to the House on 6 January, they will be considered for resettlement under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).