Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the independent inquiry into alleged unlawful activity by British Armed Forces during deliberate detention operations in Afghanistan has started work; what its budget is for 2023; and how many officials from his Department will be on the inquiry team.

The Inquiry is independent of the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The Inquiry team and MOD officials are working to finalise a budget which supports our resourcing commitments while ensuring value for money.

The Inquiry's ongoing recruitment of its multi-disciplinary team draws from relevant professionals from across Government, the legal profession and MOD officials.

A dedicated Inquiry website is currently under development. Lord Justice Haddon-Cave has said that he will provide an update statement in early February in conjunction with the website launch, which will encourage those who may wish to engage with the Inquiry to come forward.