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Written question asked by Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party) on Tuesday, 14 September 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 September 2021. It was answered by James Heappey (Conservative) on Friday, 17 September 2021 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of the Afghan nationals who supported the British armed forces during the conflict and requested to be relocated have now been supported in leaving Afghanistan.

Answer

Under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP), around 7,000 Afghans who worked in support of the UK defence and security mission were found eligible and relocated to the UK. This is the vast majority of those found eligible for the scheme prior to OP PITTING.

Regrettably, 311 eligible ARAP applicants were not evacuated from Afghanistan as part of Operation PITTING, however 46 of these individuals have since made their way to a third country or the UK by other means.

The ARAP scheme remains open and we continue to receive and assess applications. From the conclusion of Operation PITTING on 28 August up to 14 August, a further 40 Afghan nationals have been found eligible for the scheme. All those eligible for the scheme will be supported to come to the UK.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
49141
Session
2021-22
Subjects
Asylum Refugees Afghanistan Resettlement Home country nationals
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on questions-statements.parliament.uk