Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to monitor the impact of the data breach relating to the Afghan relocations and assistance policy on the human rights of those listed in the leaked data including (a) those of Afghan nationality, (b) their families and (c) British officials.

As recognised by the Rimmer Review, the human rights picture in Afghanistan was dire, prior to and regardless of the data loss incident, which occurred under the previous Government.

However, while Afghanistan remains a dangerous place, the Rimmer Review does conclude that it is "highly unlikely" that merely being on the dataset would be grounds for targeting, and that it is unlikely that family members will be targeted simply because the principal appears in the dataset. It also concludes that the dataset is unlikely to substantially change an individual's existing exposure given the volume of data already available to the Taleban and the fact that links to the former Government are widely known.

It is worth noting that in a small number of cases, the names of British officials have been named on the dataset. The risk to these individuals, who are in the UK, is considered to be extremely low. The Ministry of Defence continues to make all reasonable efforts to contact those affected to provide security advice and support.