Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure Afghan nationals resettled under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are housed as close as possible to family or friends already living in the UK.

We are working at pace across government and with local authorities to source appropriate accommodation for Afghan families who were evacuated to the UK. The emergency circumstances of Operation Pitting meant that we were not able to secure long term accommodation for people as we would have liked before they flew to the UK.

Once properties are identified and referred to the Home Office, a matching exercise is undertaken which allows us to offer the property to a suitable family. Where possible, we will match families from local bridging hotels allowing them to remain in the area where they may have started to form connections and settle.

We know there are many Afghans who are ready and willing to work and to start their integration into UK society. Those who qualify for refugee status have access to mainstream benefits and services to enable their integration and immediate and unrestricted access to the labour market.

This includes the ability to seek out employment opportunities.