Statement on a significant data protection breach from February 2022, relating to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
With permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement on a significant data protection breach from February 2022, relating to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy. This led to the High Court granting an unprecedented superinjunction. And the previous government establishing a secret Afghan resettlement route.
Today, I am announcing to the House a change in government policy. I am closing this resettlement route; I'm disclosing the data loss and confirm that the Court Order was lifted at 12 noon today. Members of the House, including you Mr Speaker, have been subject to this superinjunction. It is unprecedented.
And to be clear, the Court has always recognised the parliamentary privilege of proceedings in this House and Ministers decided not to tell Parliamentarians at an earlier stage about the data incident, as the widespread publicity would increase the risk of the Taleban obtaining the dataset.
But, as Parliamentarians - and as Government Ministers - it has been deeply uncomfortable to be constrained in reporting to this House.
And I am grateful today to be able to disclose the details to Parliament.
And I trust you, Mr Speaker - and Members - will bear with me, if I take the time to ensure the House now has the fullest information possible, something I discussed with you Mr Speaker, yesterday.
Mr Speaker, the facts are as follows…
In February 2022… ten months after the Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, introduced the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and six months after the fall of Kabul a Defence official emailed an ARAP caseworking file outside of authorised government systems.
ARAP as the House knows is the resettlement scheme that this country established for Afghan citizens who worked for or with UK Armed Forces over the combat years of Afghanistan.
Both in Opposition - and in Government - we have backed this scheme and I know ARAP has had full support from across this House.
Now this official mistakenly believed they were sending the names of 150 applicants.
However, the spreadsheet in fact contained personal information associated to 18 714 Afghan who had applied to either the Ex Gratia or ARAP scheme on or before 7 January 2022.
It contained names and
