Conservative Senedd member for the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend Andrew RT Davies has said the Government has serious questions to answer after it confirmed a sex crime was committed by an Afghan national resettled in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Authorities had repeatedly refused to answer Mr Davies’ requests regarding the matter, which he first raised in August last year.
Mr Davies met with Ministry of Defence officials regarding their decision to use the Holiday Inn Express in Rhoose as temporary accommodation under the Afghan Resettlement Programme.
Following the meeting, he asked if any individuals housed in the Vale of Glamorgan under any Afghan resettlement scheme had been either charged or convicted of any sex crimes.
Despite following it up several times, the department repeatedly failed to answer Mr Davies’ request. This forced him to refer the matter to the Information Commissioner.
In January, the Home Office refused to provide the information, claiming it would be too costly to do so.
The Ministry of Defence has now confirmed it holds information relating to 10 cases where an individual relocated to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme or the Afghan Response Route (ARR) has subsequently committed a criminal offence.
This includes a sexual offence committed by an individual based in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Mr Davies said:
“It’s disgraceful that the Government failed to provide this information for so long.
“After authorities chose to use the Holiday Inn Express in Rhoose for temporary accommodation, I asked them to confirm if any individuals relocated under various Afghan resettlement schemes were convicted of sex offences.
“But they failed to answer the request repeatedly.
“Now it has confirmed an Afghan resettled in the Vale of Glamorgan was convicted of a sex crime, the Government has serious questions to answer.
“There are public safety implications that must be addressed.”
ENDS
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