Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure that Afghan Christians and religious minorities are provided with safe and accessible routes to claim asylum in the UK.

The Government is pressing the Taliban to respect human rights in Afghanistan, including the rights of Christians and religious minorities, and to allow safe passage for Afghans to travel abroad. The Government has also doubled its aid to Afghanistan. Resettlement in the UK can be a solution for only a small minority of Afghanistan's people. During Operation Pitting the Government evacuated more than 15,000 people from Afghanistan to the UK, including some in the groups referred to. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme has resettled thousands of at-risk Afghans who have worked with or alongside the UK Government, and their families. The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will provide further protection for people at risk identified as in need. The scheme is not yet open and further details will be announced in due course.