Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether applications to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme are decided strictly in the order in which they were submitted.
Answered by James Heappey
As at 22nd February over 110,000 applications have been received to the Afghan Relocation & Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme and a dedicated team of caseworkers are working 7 days a week to process these applications. Routinely, applications are progressed in the order they have been received. In some cases, further information has to be requested from the applicant, and subject to that being received (and when) this may have implications for when decisions on the application are made. In exceptional circumstances, HMG may expedite ARAP applications. This will generally (but not exclusively) be where ARAP caseworkers become aware that there is credible evidence one or more of the following applies: there is an unusually high and imminent threat to life; the applicant requires immediate life-saving medical treatment for a medical condition unavailable in their current location; there are implications for diplomatic and international relations; or there are implications for national security.
We continue to devote significant resources to this task; and, to date our efforts have resulted in the relocation to the UK of over 8,000 ARAP principals and their dependants.
Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans she has to allow Afghan refugees given Indefinite Leave to Remain under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, to join the armed forces in the UK.
Answered by James Heappey
Individuals with Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK have no immigration restrictions on their employment however, as per s.340 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 the right to enlist in the UK Armed Forces is restricted to British or Commonwealth citizens, or either sole or dual nationals of the Republic of Ireland. The only exception to this legislation is the special and unique arrangement permitting Nepalese citizens to enlist in the Brigade of Gurkhas.
Afghans relocated under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, and any other migrants to the UK would be eligible to enlist in the UK Armed Forces once they had applied for and obtained British nationality.
Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications his Department has received for the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy scheme; how many applicants to that scheme have (a) been excluded from the UK relocation option, (b) been accepted for relocation to the UK under category (i) one, (ii) two and (iii) four and (c) not yet been informed of a decision on their application; and how many of those accepted, rejected or pending were terminated from their employment.
Answered by James Heappey
We have significantly accelerated the pace of relocations under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) in line with the military drawdown. Since 1 June 572 people, former Afghan locally employed staff and their families, have been relocated to the UK. The MOD is working with the Home Office and a range of Government departments to ensure their successful resettlement.
This now takes the total number of people from Afghanistan relocated to the UK under the ARAP and the previous Ex-Gratia Policy to nearly 2,000.
Unfortunately for operational security reasons we cannot at this time comment on specific numbers of applications.
Our commitment to those who are eligible under the ARAP, and the process to deliver it, is not time-limited and will endure beyond the military presence in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much public money has been spent in support of soldiers going through inquest or criminal proceedings in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
It is taking time to collate the information needed to answer the hon. Member's question. I will write to him when it is available, and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on legal aid to (a) veterans and (b) serving personnel in relation to Troubles prosecutions and incidents in each of the last five years.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
It is taking time to collate the information needed to answer the hon. Member's question. I will write to him when it is available, and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.