Select committee: International Development Committee
Conclusion 4
Fifth Report - Afghanistan: UK support for aid workers and the Afghan people
Published 4 Mar 2022
Paragraph 34
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
International Development Committee Afghanistan All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We were disappointed about the exclusion from the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme of Afghan aid workers to whom the UK Government had clear lines of moral responsibility, either because they were sub- contracted by the UK Government or employed by aid agencies in receipt of UK aid. We are disappointed that Afghan aid workers have not been explicitly recognised in the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). We are very concerned about the time being taken by the Government to implement the ACRS and whether Afghan aid workers will receive protection under that scheme.
From: International Development Committee, Fifth Report - Afghanistan: UK support for aid workers and the Afghan people (HC 919), paragraph 34, 4 March 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 19 May 2022 (deadline 4 May 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out its position on the Committee's recommendations on Afghanistan, including that it "do[es] not accept the Committee's conclusion" on the banking crisis, while describing steps on resettlement, aid disbursal and transparency.
- On resettlement, it says "the capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited" and that it is working to launch the ACRS 'third pathway' "as soon as possible", with "further detail" to be published "in due course".
- On the Committee's call for quarterly reports on ACRS numbers, it says statistics on people relocated "will be included in upcoming editions of Immigration Statistics". It adds that it does not "collate data on whether people were employed as aid workers".
- On aid disbursal, it says it "agree[s] it is imperative" that humanitarian funding is disbursed efficiently and that the FCDO has done this. It states that of the £286 million pledged, 50% was disbursed by end December 2021 and 100% by the end of the financial year.
- On Development Tracker, it says financial contributions to partners will be published "within three months", with "any potentially sensitive information redacted".