Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is his policy to relocate interpreters regardless of where they have assisted British military personnel; and if he will make a statement.
In Iraq all Locally Employed Staff who fulfilled the eligibility criteria and requested it were resettled. Under this scheme 368 applicants and 960 dependants have entered the UK.
The National Security Council-agreed Ex-Gratia Scheme for Afghan local staff was announced on 4 June 2013, by the then Secretary of State for Defence. Locally Employed Staff who met the criteria were offered relocation as part of the Ex-Gratia Scheme. Currently over 420 Locally Employed Staff (including those formerly employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development) and 865 family members have relocated to the UK.