HL Deb 25 May 2004 vol 661 cc1189-90

2.43 p.m.

Lord Ahmed asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the searching of goods for export and travellers at United Kingdom airports is targeted at those destined for particular destinations.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Lord McIntosh of Haringey)

My Lords, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise has the prime responsibility for control of goods leaving the United Kingdom. Export checks are carried out for prohibited goods such as illicit drugs, to check export licensing requirements, to enforce international sanctions, and for fiscal purposes checking goods to export manifests. Passengers are subject to checks to ensure that export restrictions are enforced and to detect crime-related cash. All checks are informed by risk assessments which may include the destination country as one indicator—for example, when the country of destination is subject to international sanctions or other export licensing requirements.

Lord Ahmed

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that reply. Is he aware that, on a recent visit to the United States, when I was among 65 other passengers at Heathrow Airport, I was taken out of the queue with another colleague for a random check of our luggage? On my travels to Saudi Arabia, I was searched and so were my bags to see whether I was carrying any cash. Is this rule applied to all passengers, whatever their colour or nationality? There were only two Asian-looking men in my queue and we were both taken out for a random check. What criteria do the police apply on the streets of London when they use stop-and-search powers under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, in answer to my noble friend's first question, I was not aware of the circumstances of his visits to the United States or Saudi Arabia. When I was being briefed for this Question, I said that I had never been stopped leaving the country. However, both the head of frontier security and his colleague in frontier security told me that they had both been stopped leaving the country. My noble friend Lady Symons says that she, as a Minister, has also been stopped.

I do not want to talk about risk assessments because, clearly, once we start talking about the details of risk assessment profiles people can get some idea of how to avoid them. It is fair to say that the profiles are strictly adhered to.

Lord Marlesford

My Lords, does the Minister agree that, given the unavoidably limited resources to protect this country from both organised crime and terrorism, the most sophisticated profiling and targeting that can be achieved is fully desirable? If, for example, it was concluded that those born on 11 September—as I was—were of special interest, I would be delighted to be targeted and pulled out of a queue at any time.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, that would seem to be a waste of Customs' resources.