Written question asked by Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party) on Thursday, 15 April 2021, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 29 April 2021. It was answered by Baroness Goldie (Conservative) on Thursday, 29 April 2021 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Afghanistan: Interpreters

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect Afghan interpreters that have served British Forces following the planned withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan in September.

Answer: The Government is strongly committed to fulfilling its responsibilities to current and former locally employed staff in Afghanistan. That is why we developed a new Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which launched on 1 April 2021. It acknowledges and reflects the fact that the situation in Afghanistan has changed, and with it the potential risk to current and former Locally Employed Staff who worked for the UK Government over the past twenty years. Under the new scheme, any current or former Locally Employed Staff who are assessed to be under serious threat [to life] will be offered priority relocation to the UK regardless of their employment status, rank or role, or length of time served. And local staff who have worked in roles which could have exposed their identities and placed them at risk of reprisals will be relocated to the UK by default. We will continue to monitor events in Afghanistan closely to ensure the implementation of this policy reflects the changing security situation.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL14973
Session: 2019-21
Subjects: Armed forces Protection Peacekeeping operations Afghanistan Interpreters Home country nationals
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk