Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many current and former serving Afghan military personnel remain in Afghanistan now that the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy has ended.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK Government does not hold details of the number of current and former serving Afghan military personnel who remain in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department cited (a) national security and (b) public interest exemptions under the Data Protection Act 2018 in relation to the Afghan data breach disclosed in 2021.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) reported several personal data incidents to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in 2021, under the previous administration, in which individuals seeking Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) support were identified to each other by the sender using the “to” rather than the “bcc” email field.
When MOD engaged with the ICO in relation to these incidents, the Department highlighted the national security context and the ICO accepted the urgent and pressurised circumstances under which the incidents occurred, although they decided that a monetary penalty notice was still justified. The MOD cooperated extensively with the ICO in addressing these incidents, recognising the severity of what happened and working to improve compliance going forward.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date (a) Ministers in his Department were informed of the data breach affecting Afghan nationals who worked with UK forces and (b) that breach was escalated to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Officials were alerted to the data incident on 14 August 2023, and it was reported the next day to Ministry of Defence (MOD) Head Office and Ministers in the previous Government. Immediate action was taken to ensure that the compromised dataset, which had appeared online, was removed and an internal investigation was conducted. The incident was reported to the Metropolitan Police and the Information Commissioner’s Office on 17 August 2025, within 72 hours of first learning about the data incident. The Information Commissioner’s Office has continued to work with the Department on this matter and on improvements to MOD data handling and protection.
Asked by: Maya Ellis (Labour - Ribble Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria her Department applies when assessing asylum claims from (a) people with a risk of persecution from the Taliban and (b) other Afghan rights defenders.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
All asylum and human rights claims from Afghan nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.
Each individual assessment is made by considering any relevant extant caselaw, the latest available country information, and relevant Asylum Instruction(s), notably Assessing Credibility and Refugee Status.
Our assessment of the situation for individuals claiming a fear of the Taliban in Afghanistan is set out in the relevant country policy and information note, which is available on GOV.UK
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will consider relocating auxiliary workers to British (a) diplomatic and (b) military operations in Afghanistan for their safety.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of the UK Government's Afghanistan Resettlement Programme (ARP) can be found on the gov.uk website. The Ministry of Defence has overall responsibility for the ARP and the Afghan Resettlement and Assistance Policy (ARAP). The Home Office is the lead for the Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the safety of auxiliary workers to British (a) diplomatic and (b) military operations in Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of the UK Government's Afghanistan Resettlement Programme (ARP) can be found on the gov.uk website. The Ministry of Defence has overall responsibility for the ARP and the Afghan Resettlement and Assistance Policy (ARAP). The Home Office is the lead for the Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to monitor the safety and well-being of family members of individuals who worked with the UK Government in Afghanistan prior to Taliban rule.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are continuing to support eligible Afghans who worked with us to resettle in UK. His Majesty's Government has welcomed over 31,000 eligible individuals, including family members, to the UK and continue to support relocation of the remaining eligible Afghans through our schemes.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department considers Afghanistan to be a safe country for asylum returns.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our assessment of the general situation in Afghanistan is set out in the relevant country policy and information notes, which are available on the GOV.UK website.
All asylum and human rights claims from Afghan nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support people who came to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK has a moral obligation to assist our Afghan friends and allies who served for, with or alongside our Armed Forces in support of UK objectives in Afghanistan. We will honour that moral duty.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) offers a range of packages for those relocated under the ARAP upon their arrival. This includes transitional accommodation on the Defence Estate, orientation and cultural awareness briefings, safeguarding, and English language support, as well as help to register to access mainstream services (such as the NHS, education, employment, and universal credit). Working with Local Authorities and other Government Departments, the MOD has also supported families in moving into settled accommodation.
This Government is fully committed to delivering on the pledge to those in Afghanistan who are eligible to relocate and resettle, and we continue to welcome these Afghans and their families to the UK through our Afghan resettlement schemes. This is why, as announced by the Secretary of State for Defence on 18 December 2024, we are launching the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), which will draw together a single pipeline for Afghan resettlement, working cross-Government, to deliver greater efficiency and better outcomes.
Further information on the resettlement offer under the ARP can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-resettlement-programme
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme are awaiting a response; and what the average time taken is to process applications under that scheme.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As of 12 December 2024, 7,662 principal applicants are awaiting an initial eligibility decision under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme. This Government has inherited a large number of ARAP applications but is committed to continuously improving the efficiency of the decision-making process across all cases, so that eligible applicants are identified and relocated quickly. . The time it takes to process an ARAP application varies, and not all applicants will receive an eligibility decision in the same timeframe due a wide range of factors, for example the length of time an applicant takes to respond to a request for information and verification checks required with Other Government Departments. Each case is assessed on its own merit and, as such, some may take longer than others to process.