Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee claims under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are awaiting a decision as of 7 November 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
As of 10 November 2023, we have approximately 2,000 ARAP applicants awaiting a decision, including those applications we continue to receive each week.
Overall, we have received over 95,000 unique applications to the scheme. We are diligently combing through our records, searching for every eligible applicant and will leave no stone unturned to find all ARAP eligible Afghans.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee claims have been accepted under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme since April 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
Since 1 April 2023, a total of 372 Principal applicants have been found eligible for relocation under the ARAP scheme.
I should note that the ARAP scheme is an application-based scheme offering support and assistance to those who worked for or alongside the UK in Afghanistan. It is not intended as a relocation scheme for refugees.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee claims have been rejected under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme since April 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
Since 1 April 2023, a total of 67,338 ARAP applications have been found ineligible.
ARAP was always intended to be a relocation scheme specifically for those who served in the employ of the British military (in all but a very narrow number of cases), or in support of wider UK national security objectives, as set out in the specific eligibility criteria in the ARAP policy.
A finite number of Afghans are therefore eligible for ARAP and The Ministry of Defence are prioritising finding and relocating those who we know are eligible.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association on the future of Castle Armoury in Bury.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Army has recently received a proposal from the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association (RFCA) which it looks forward to discussing further with the RFCA and partners across Defence. To date, the Army has considered that Castle Armoury will still be required in the future for training.