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Data Breach: ARAP Applicants in Afghanistan
21 September 2021
Lead MP
Ben Wallace
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
Foreign Affairs
Other Contributors: 25
At a Glance
Ben Wallace raised concerns about data breach: arap applicants in afghanistan in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
The Minister of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, provided a statement on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), addressing both the evacuation efforts since April and an unfortunate data breach involving ARAP applicants. He reported that approximately 8,800 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan through Operation Pitting and earlier relocations under ARAP. Concerns were raised regarding lapses in management for individuals still awaiting relocation. The data breach incident involved a mass email sent to 245 ARAP applicants containing personal information. Immediate actions taken include recalling the email, advising recipients to delete it, suspending an individual pending investigation, and enhancing data handling procedures. An assessment of increased risks faced by affected individuals is ongoing. The Information Commissioner has been notified, and cooperation with their inquiries will be provided. The MOD apologises for this breach and continues to work on securing these individuals. The minister also highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to continuing the ARAP scheme until all eligible applicants have been relocated.
John Healey
Lab
Rawmarsh and Conisbrough
Question
There is rightly cross-party concern about this very grave security breach involving names, email addresses, and in some cases photographs of 250 Afghan ARAP applicants. What action is the MOD taking to urgently evacuate these individuals? How will contact with them be maintained post-breach?
Minister reply
The MOD acknowledges the mass emailing incident but emphasises that it did not include specific personal details beyond email addresses and profile pictures from generic profiles. Defence Intelligence assesses risks for affected individuals, who are 260 principal applicants plus their families, currently at about 1,232 people. The Minister for the Armed Forces is in a neighbouring country working on evacuation methods, and resources will be increased if necessary.
Question
Given the Taliban's history of exacting revenge on those who worked with NATO, what clandestine measures can be taken to ensure safe extraction for these interpreters if standard procedures are not effective?
Minister reply
All means will be explored, though specific details cannot be disclosed due to operational security concerns.
Stewart McDonald
Lab
Argyll and Bute
Question
I thank the Secretary of State for his apology. I do not doubt the sincerity of it, and I do not doubt for a second the anger that he will have felt when he got the news of this unacceptable and quite dangerous leak yesterday. However, I have a few questions to follow on from those asked by the shadow Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey), and the Chair of the Select Committee on Defence, the right hon. Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood). Can the Secretary of State confirm whether the Taliban have the capability to monitor these people’s emails? I do not want to know if they are monitoring them—I suspect that he would not tell the House even if he did know—but do they have the capability to do so? How long will the investigation take? Who will carry out the investigation? Is the person who has been suspended an employee of the Ministry of Defence or of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office?
Minister reply
I am grateful to the hon. Member for his series of questions. First, the investigation will be carried out by Admiral Sir Ben Key, the commander of joint operations at PJHQ—permanent joint headquarters—who also led the planning and the evacuation from Kabul.
Stewart McDonald
Lab
Argyll and Bute
Question
Will the Secretary of State outline in a bit more detail, if he is able to, the additional resources that he intends to commit to ensure that people are not exposed to any more danger than they already are as a result of the leak? I understand entirely the point that he makes about using mass email as a communications method, but who signed off on that as an okay way to make that communication?
Minister reply
On resource, right from the beginning of this process, way back in August, or in July, I was very clear with my senior military commanders and civil servants that they would have whatever resource they needed to process emails and carry people out, for example. We will fly these people back from third countries out of the MOD budget.
Stewart McDonald
Lab
Argyll and Bute
Question
The shadow Secretary of State is right that when these breaches happen, we get these apologies and then there tends to be silence, so more broadly, what is being done to arrest this worrying trend of data leaks from the Secretary of State’s Department? Is he going to order a broader investigation?
Minister reply
The individual concerned was a member of the Ministry of Defence, but I am very keen that it is not just the poor person who drafts the email who is held to account, but the chain upwards, to ensure that this does not happen again.
Thomas Tugendhat
Con
Tonbridge
Question
I am delighted to hear from my right hon. Friend just now that Admiral Key has got a knighthood. There has not been one earned by anyone better for many years. The challenge of this event is not the accident, the mistake, that we can see happened. I think we all sympathise with the Ministry of Defence and indeed the Secretary of State; accidents do happen. The challenge is that there are people still there and that the co-ordination for getting people out is still complicated. Will my right hon. Friend commit to working to get a single point of contact for all those in Afghanistan who are seeking to leave? The system whereby some have to apply to the MOD, and others to the Foreign Office or through the Home Office, is excessively complicated and is leading to obstacles, including on at least four different occasions that I can speak of. People are stuck in Lashkar Gah, Kabul or Mazar-e-Sharif, trying to get out, but they are still not getting the smooth transfer that we need.
Minister reply
I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who makes a really important point. I would ask colleagues to have some understanding of this. The MOD, which is of course charged with defending the nation, has in very short order had to turn part of itself over to processing visas and doing the job that traditionally we would have done in the Home Office.
South Shields
Question
This is another in a long line of serious errors regarding the Government’s Afghan relocations that will cost lives. Can the Secretary of State please advise us how many of the 260 interpreters the Government have been unable to make direct contact with since the breach?
Minister reply
Of the 260, there were eight we have not had comms with since the end of Operation Pitting.
Johnny Mercer
Constitutional
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Question
Between 2001 and 2014, UK forces employed 2,850 interpreters. From 2014, they were on sub-contracts, so we are looking at 300 or 400 more. The relocation programme up till April this year relocated 440 interpreters. I can account for about 99 interpreters who were rescued during Operation Pitting. What assessment has the Secretary of State made of how many interpreters—not families, but interpreters—the MOD has been able to rescue from Afghanistan? It jars slightly with numbers in the low hundreds that he is presenting to the House today.
Minister reply
I am listening to my hon. Friend. Where I take issue with him is that it is not 99. Some 650 principals, not families, came out through Operation Pitting.
Jamie Stone
Lib Dem
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Question
The Secretary of State’s anger at hearing the news is not in any way misplaced, and I thank him for coming to the Chamber and making his statement. It seems to me that there is a wealth of difference between a mass email and individual one-to-one contact. Can I seek an assurance that every one of the people we know about is in proper one-to-one contact, either by text or other means, with somebody in the Ministry of Defence or the FCDO who can mentor them, talk to them and help them face this huge problem?
Minister reply
I cannot give the hon. Gentleman the assurance that they have all replied, but we have absolutely taken a view that they should be case managed, on top of the weekly update.
Julian Lewis
Con
New Forest East
Question
Suggests implementing an automated reminder system to prevent sensitive emails from being sent to multiple recipients. Proposes handing over a list of former long-term British contract employees in Afghanistan to new Parliamentary Private Secretaries for secure handling.
Minister reply
Welcomes the new PPSs and mentions engaging throughout the process with parliamentarians to keep them informed.
Carol Monaghan
Ind
Question
Asks if the Secretary of State is considering using simple software similar to caseworker systems used by MPs to prevent mistakes in mailing sensitive information.
Minister reply
Acknowledges looking at case management and mailing provision, including tools like Mailchimp.
Jack Lopresti
Con
Question
Queries if the Assistance Relocation and Resettlement Programme (ARAP) is open-ended and if the UK will continue to offer assistance for years to come.
Minister reply
Confirms ARAP is open-ended and expects individuals may still apply in future, emphasising ongoing responsibility to ensure safety.
Kevan Jones
Ind
Question
Raises concerns about repeated security breaches and questions the Minister's confidence in his Department’s ability to handle sensitive information.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the issue of data security, mentions personal supervision and suspension of individuals involved in breaches.
Alicia Kearns
Con
Rutland and Stamford
Question
Inquires about the Department's provision of extraction advice or guidance to those currently hiding in Afghanistan.
Minister reply
Explains one-to-one communications are used for providing individualised advice based on location.
Yvette Cooper
Lab
Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
Question
Raises a case of an Afghan contractor whose wife was shot by the Taliban; asks if this man is eligible for ARAP and requests personal follow-up.
Minister reply
Confirms eligibility of contractors under certain conditions, agrees to look at specific cases and reports ongoing processing of additional applications.
Philip Hollobone
Con
Question
Requests a definitive list of ARAP applications received, being processed, and approved.
Minister reply
Offers to provide details for a fixed period but notes the scheme's complexity due to speculative applications.
Kim Johnson
Lab
Liverpool Riverside
Question
Questions if there is a systemic problem with data security in the MOD and what steps will be taken to ensure safety.
Minister reply
Acknowledges shortcomings but emphasises ongoing investment in computer systems and encryption.
Shaun Bailey
Ind
Question
Asks about future improvements in information security standards, particularly with allies, for similar operations.
Minister reply
Discusses the changing nature of military operations in the era of social media and communication networks.
Andrew Slaughter
Lab
Hammersmith and Chiswick
Question
An Afghan family I saw at my surgery yesterday told me that a relative working with coalition forces had been blown to bits by the Taliban. Other relatives are similarly at risk, but their response from the MOD says they are not eligible for ARAP. Despite only having four replies out of over 100 live cases, what should be done next if these people are accepted on the scheme?
Minister reply
The Secretary of State understands the hon. Member’s desire to manage his individual cases and is putting all resources into dealing with them. He urges MPs to deliver specific advice for each case by those coordinating it and invites written communication regarding cases he believes should be eligible.
Question
The right hon. Member inquires about the Secretary of State’s commitment to update the House after the recess on the additional threats and intimidation that Afghan nationals face due to the data breach.
Minister reply
He will be happy to provide an update on the threat situation for Afghans who worked with coalition forces, including those residing in the United Kingdom, and any growth in terrorism from Afghanistan.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Question
Asking people simply to change their email address seems inadequate given names can be extracted. What additional security advice has been provided to interpreters on the email list and their families?
Minister reply
Individuals will be contacted one-to-one, where a case management process is in place, to tailor advice on counter-intelligence methods and safer locations.
Question
The breach, while within the MOD, prompts questions about discussions with counterparts at the Foreign Office and Home Office. How does the Ministry of Defence ensure correct information is shared across departments to assist those they have a duty to help?
Minister reply
Among 50 personnel working on ARAP in PJHQ are embedded liaisons in other Departments, cross-checking information from Parliament through to the Home Office and Foreign Office. The Secretary of State hears about the need for a single point of contact.
Question
An 18-year-old woman married to a British constituent whose father worked as a translator for other allied countries faces being left behind in Kabul, exacerbated by this data breach. What discussions has the Secretary of State had regarding supporting such vulnerable citizens?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady's case is challenging since the individual concerned is an adult and her parent worked for another country. However, if she sends details, the Minister will approach that third country to assist in the case or get them to do so.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
The Secretary of State is thanked for his dedication and answering questions. In Northern Ireland, there are individuals aware of the feeling of having a home endangered. What has been done to help those who responded with personal details relocate quickly and safely?
Minister reply
Efforts include establishing contact with as many individuals as possible, offering to update the House on contacts established by this week, ensuring new contact details, getting assurances about them, starting or continuing one-to-one case management.
Shadow Comment
John Healey
Shadow Comment
The shadow Minister of State for Defence, John Healey, expressed significant concern over the data breach involving ARAP applicants in Afghanistan. He demanded urgent action to evaluate increased risks faced by these individuals due to the breach and requested immediate steps for their evacuation. He questioned why mass emails were sent to those facing life-threatening situations and sought assurance on how MOD will maintain contact with them post-breach. Additionally, he raised concerns over multiple data breaches within a short period, urging for comprehensive system improvements beyond public apologies.
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