Afghanistan: Refugees

(asked on 15th June 2022) - View Source

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) that efforts to evacuate individuals from Afghanistan continue, what is the budget for the evacuation; how many staff are dedicated to it; and for how long it will continue.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 29th June 2022

Since Operation Pitting the UK has supported over 4,600 people to leave Afghanistan. As part of a cross-government effort, the FCDO remains committed to the resettlement of eligible Afghan citizens in the UK through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) schemes. The FCDO's share of that effort, which is under constant review, currently involves 30 staff in the UK and our network of Posts in the region, as well as support to eligible Afghan citizens in third countries while they undergo checks before being issued UK visas. The funding for this financial year will depend on the rate at which eligible Afghans are able to leave Afghanistan, which is difficult to predict. Our efforts continue while eligible Afghans require support to travel to the UK.

Reticulating Splines