Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her timeframe is for opening the Afghan citizens' resettlement scheme.

Through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), the UK will relocate up to 20,000 people at risk, including women and girls and minority groups, so they can rebuild their lives in safety.

Information on the eligibility, prioritisation and referral of people for the ACRS is set out in the policy statement published on gov.uk on 13 September, available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement.

The scheme is not yet open. However, the first to be resettled through this scheme will include those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, which included individuals who were considered to be at particular risk – including women’s rights activists, prosecutors and journalists. The ACRS is being developed at pace and further details will be released in due course.