National Audit Office publishes report on Afghanistan Response Route

The National Audit Office has published a report on the Afghanistan Response Route which was set up following the government’s data leak (for background you can read our initial write up as well as this newsletter). The report looks at the key events and decisions which led to the creation of the route, the number of people who are expected to be resettled through the scheme and the associated costs.

The Ministry of Defence estimates that the historic and future costs relating to resettlement directly related to the data breach are around £850 million. Next year the National Audit Office will publish another report looking at the costs of the government’s Afghanistan resettlement schemes overall.

The report also includes the best summary I have seen yet on the numbers involved and the various ways those affected were resettled in the UK:

Notably, the report lists as “unknown” the potential costs of future compensation claims made against the Ministry of Defence in relation to the data breach, so this matter is far from over.