Select committee: Defence Committee
Conclusion 14
1st Report - Shifting heaven and earth? The Afghan data breach and resettlement schemes
Published 30 Jul 2026
Addressed to Ministry of Defence
Defence Committee Afghan Data Breach and Resettlement Schemes All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The government was right to commission the Rimmer Review, and a similar reassessment of risk and proportionality should have taken place much sooner after discovery of the breach. The Review was coherent, logically constructed and a fair reflection of the evidence it received; it provided a rational basis for the government and the High Court to conclude that the injunction should no longer be maintained. However, because the Review was conducted in secret, the range of evidence that could be gathered and tested was constrained. That affected perceptions of its fairness and completeness among affected Afghans and those who advocate for them, and means the Review should not be treated as the final word on risk. (Conclusion, Paragraph 143)
From: Defence Committee, 1st Report - Shifting heaven and earth? The Afghan data breach and resettlement schemes (HC 69), 30 July 2026
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 16 October 2026 (deadline 30 September 2026).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Ministry of Defence says the data incident was "unacceptable", accepts a number of the Committee's conclusions and some recommendations in whole or in part, and declines others, citing risk to life and national security.
- On the injunction, the government agrees the super-injunction was exceptional and accepts Recommendation 8 "in principle", but says any decision to widen briefing would be "for the government of the day".
- It "accepts part of" the recommendation to publish principles on injunctions, saying any course of action "remains a decision for Ministers" and is to be considered case by case.
- It will provide the Committee with "six-monthly updates" on the Afghan Resettlement Programme and expects to complete all ARP casework by Spring 2027, though the August 2026 milestone for initial decisions was missed.
- It declines to publish quality assurance KPIs, saying they "could have unintended consequences", and says exceptional circumstances will be considered for those unable to self-move within 12 months.