THE Afghan data breach was a “foreseeable” failure by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and one of 19 reported in a 19-month period, a parliamentary inquiry has revealed.

The personal data of more than 18,000 Afghans seeking resettlement after fighting the Taliban alongside British forces was accidentally leaked when a member of MoD personnel shared an Excel spreadsheet with a “trusted third party,” the defence committee said.

Taking place in February 2022, six months after the fall of Kabul, the security led to the publication of Afghans’ details on a Facebook page in August 2023.

A new, secret relocation scheme was created for those affected, but an unprecedented super-injunction kept the breach from being made public until July last year, shortly after applications to the government’s relocation schemes had closed.

In a report published today, the committee says that the breach was one of 19 “data security incidents” reported between February 2022 and November 2023 and that the MoD had used secrecy as a “shield” against proper accountability.

While the spreadsheet concerned was thought to show data for around 150 applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme, it contained hidden information relating to more than 18,500 other applications.

The committee described the ministry’s approach to using Excel as a “continuing cultural failure” and criticised its handling of the wider Afghan relocation schemes as “utterly and obviously inadequate.”

Committee chairman Tan Dhesi said: “The Ministry of Defence should stick to defence — it should never have been left to run immigration casework schemes.”

The committee also criticised the secrecy surrounding both the breach itself and the role of British special forces in the resettlement schemes.

Although it was initially expected to last four months, allowing time for the MoD to respond to the breach without increasing the risk of the data falling into the hands of the Taliban, the super-injunction remained in place for almost two years.

The report said that the government’s policy of not commenting on special forces matters was “inappropriate” when connected to “administrative decision-making” and their role in immigration casework.

An MoD spokesperson said: “We are learning the lessons from this incident and important reforms are already in place, including improved data protection standards, strengthened case-working processes and better programme governance.”