Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Afghan Resettlement of 17 November 2021, to the Home Affairs Select Committee on Afghanistan: safe routes and resettlement, at Q101 HC 706, if she will publish the safety concerns referred to as they relate to Afghan nationals who were evacuated to the UK during Operation Pitting.

In developing the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, it is right that we ensure the plans we put in place are considered, robust and have the wellbeing of those we resettle, and the communities they are resettled into, at their heart. Officials are working urgently to stand up the remaining elements of the Scheme, amid the complex and changing picture. We are working closely with OGDs, NGOs, charities, local authorities, and civil society groups to ensure the right support is provided to people who are resettled through this route.

Further 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.