Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of how many Afghan (a) principals and (b) dependents potentially eligible for relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are still in Afghanistan.

As of 29 August 2023, there are 582 confirmed ARAP-eligible principal applicants and an estimated 1,700 of their family members in Afghanistan, at the point they last confirmed their location with the ARAP casework team.

This figure fluctuates as we continue to identify eligible individuals and as we continue to support the relocation of eligible Afghans and their families out of Afghanistan and into the safety of third countries at best pace.

It is not always possible to know whether all eligible personnel are still in Afghanistan. This is incumbent on these individuals informing the ARAP casework team of their location if they leave Afghanistan. Some individuals choose not to relocate to the UK.