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The UK Ministry of Defence will pay up to £1.6mn in compensation to hundreds of Afghans affected by a 2021 data breach that exposed their identities during the allied evacuation from Kabul.
Luke Pollard, minister for the armed forces, told the House of Commons on Friday that the MoD would fulfil a 2023 pledge by the previous government to compensate 277 individuals who applied to the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme.
The breach, which occurred in September 2021 during the chaotic withdrawal of UK forces from Afghanistan, involved sensitive group emails sent without blind carbon copy protection, exposing the email addresses of Arap applicants.
Many of those whose details were mistakenly shared were in hiding from the Taliban because of their work with the British forces.
An investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office later forced the MoD to accept responsibility, and in 2023 the government said it would offer financial compensation to those directly affected.
Pollard confirmed that a one-off ex gratia payment of up to £4,000 would be offered to each verified claimant. “I cannot undo past mistakes,” he told MPs, “but I wish to assure members that in my role . . . I intend to drive improvement in the department’s data handling training and practices.”
Pollard pledged to ensure that payments were made “as quickly as reasonably practical”. The MoD will contact each affected individual directly to begin the process.
The 2021 incident drew fierce criticism from MPs and advocacy groups, who accused the government of jeopardising lives through administrative carelessness at a time of acute danger for Afghans connected to the UK mission.
The Arap scheme, which was suddenly closed this week, was launched to provide sanctuary to Afghan nationals who had supported British operations, but delays and bureaucratic entanglements marred the implementation of the programme.
