Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 26 May (HL Deb col 1011) regarding evacuation from Afghanistan, how many evacuations and resettlements from Afghanistan to the UK have occurred; how many people are awaiting resettlement in camps in Pakistan and Iran; how many of these people are from at-risk minority groups; and what permanent resettlement assistance is being provided by other countries, including those in the Gulf and Central Asia.

During and since the evacuation from Afghanistan in August last year, around 20,000 people have been brought to safety, including British Nationals and their families, Afghans who loyally served the UK and others identified as particularly at risk. According to UNHCR there are currently just over 2 million registered refugees from Afghanistan in Pakistan and Iran. Very few of these refugees are eligible to come to the UK. Under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, UNHCR can refer some Afghan refugees to the UK for resettlement. There are currently over 800 Afghan citizens assessed as provisionally eligible to come to the UK who the Government is supporting in third countries while they await clearance to come to the UK. We do not collect comprehensive data on the minority status of eligible individuals. The Government is grateful to countries providing shelter for refugees and assisting the UK in helping eligible Afghans come to the UK.