Asked by: Baroness Smith of Newnham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role played by the Afghan Territorial Force (ATF) 444 in supporting UK Forces, and whether ATF personnel should be eligible to come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
I refer the noble Lady to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for the Armed Forces (James Heappey), in the House of Commons on 30 November to the hon. Member for Glasgow Central (Ms Alison Thewliss) in response to Question 3862.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Newnham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghans and their families have come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy in the last two months, and how many they expect to arrive before 31 December.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Over 1,500 ARAP Eligible Principals (EPs) and their family members have been relocated in the past two months. Many factors govern the flow of relocation, but we are endeavouring to bring as many eligible Afghans as possible to the UK, as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Newnham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of Afghans eligible to come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy who are currently (1) still in Afghanistan, or (2) in Pakistan.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
As of 30 November 2023, there are around 2,991 confirmed ARAP Eligible Principals (EPs) and their family members in Afghanistan, and 2,047 in Pakistan.
These figures fluctuate as we continue to identify eligible individuals. We are committed to support the relocation of eligible Afghans and their families out of Afghanistan and Pakistan as quickly as possible. To date we have brought approximately 13,600 to safety in the UK under the ARAP scheme.