Overview
- The House of Commons Defence Committee published its report on 30 July, saying a February 2022 spreadsheet leak that exposed more than 18,500 Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy records was an avoidable, systemic failure caused by wrong tools, weak procedures and poor data‑protection culture.
- The committee says the government used a prolonged superinjunction that prevented public and parliamentary scrutiny for nearly two years and that secrecy shaped decisions affecting thousands of Afghans without normal oversight.
- No individual appears to have been held personally accountable, the report finds, and it calls for clear senior ownership of data risk in future high‑risk operations.
- The inquiry details a secret resettlement of 7,355 people and notes widely reported costs of about £850 million that the MOD has not verified, while asking for a single action plan with named owners and six‑monthly progress reports.
- The report highlights prior warnings about spreadsheet risks and a 2021 ICO fine against the MOD, and warns that poor data controls delayed help for Afghan allies and left lives and operations at risk.