§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has carried out48W with other EU members concerning individuals seeking to make a clandestine illegal entry into the United Kingdom in lorries. [58514]
§ Kate HoeyIn order to combat the problem of clandestine entry, the United Kingdom has taken forward several initiatives which have involved consultation with our European partners. These include
closer liaison and exchanges of information and intelligence with the Belgian, Dutch and French authorities;the placement of an Immigration Liaison Officer in Calais for a three month trial period which started in September, following an agreement reached by my right hon. Friend and his French counterpart;on-going negotiations with French authorities, including DICCILEC, to tackle the problem—the last meeting took place in Paris at the end of October;frequent discussion of such issues at various European fora, such as the Justice and Home Affairs Council, which last met in September;regular discussions with the port authorities in France, Belgium and Holland in order to target illegal entrants in lorries before they reach the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines have been given to the police for dealing with clandestine illegal entrants arriving in lorries. [58516]
§ Mr. BoatengThere are currently no formal guidelines to the police for dealing with clandestine illegal entrants arriving in lorries. As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on 28 October 1998,Official Report, column 183, the Immigration Service is consulting the police forces most affected by the arrival of clandestine entrants to ensure that incidents are dealt with properly. In areas where it is necessary, we hope to have a standard agreement in place shortly between the police and the Immigration Service to provide a clear mechanism for dealing with clandestine entrants.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate he has made of the number of cases of clandestine illegal entry to the United Kingdom in lorries involving(a) Kosovans, (b) Albanians and (c) others in the most recent period for which figures are available; [58512]
(2) how many clandestine illegal entrants have presented themselves at Lunar House, Croydon and (a) claimed asylum and (b) not claimed asylum in the most recent period for which figures are available. [58513]
§ Kate HoeyThere is no estimate of the total number of persons gaining clandestine illegal entry to the United Kingdom, by lorry or otherwise, since, by the very nature of the problem, it is not possible to establish that a person has entered clandestinely until they have been traced and interviewed. Regrettably, therefore, the information requested is not available.
There is no central record of the total numbers of persons presenting themselves as clandestine illegal entrants at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate public caller facilities at Lunar House in Croydon and such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The available information relates to the total number of persons issued with notices of illegal entry as clandestine entrants, which between 1 January 1998 and 30 June 1998 49W totalled 3,540 persons. information on the numbers of these persons who are, or who claim to be, Kosovan, and the particular methods of clandestine entry, is not held centrally. However, 550 were identified as nationals of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; 290 were nationals of Albania; and 190 persons' nationalities could not be determined. Within the total of 3,540 persons, almost 90 per cent. have applied for asylum in the United Kingdom at some stage. These figures are provisional and rounded.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has carried out with representatives of(a) road haulage firms and (b) lorry drivers concerning clandestine illegal entrants arriving in the United Kingdom in lorries. [58515]
§ Kate HoeyMy right hon. Friend wrote to the Road Haulage Association in July this year, offering to meet it to discuss the issue of clandestine illegal immigration. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien), and Home Office officials met representatives of the Road Hauliers Association, the Freight Transport Association and the freight companies Cavewood Ltd. and Rockold European Transport on behalf of my right hon. Friend on 28 October. We are committed to consulting with representatives of the road haulage industry as we seek to identify a solution to this problem.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has given to port authorities concerning clandestine illegal entrants arriving in the United Kingdom in lorries. [58517]
§ Kate HoeyDiscussions have taken place with port authorities outside the United Kingdom with the aim of preventing illegal entrants from reaching the United Kingdom. Arrangements are in place to ensure that port authorities in the United Kingdom are aware that if they encounter suspected immigration offenders within the port they should bring them to the attention of the Immigration Service.