§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in relation to his plan to introduce juxtaposed entry controls at Eurostar terminals, when the first immigration officers will be stationed in France; if the scheme requires new manpower for the Immigration Service Ports Directorate; from which areas officers will be redeployed to staff the scheme; and if he will make a statement. [151211]
§ Mrs. Roche[holding answer 28 February 2001]: We intend to introduce juxtaposed entry controls on Eurostar trains arriving from Paris, Lille and Calais-Frethun as soon as legislation will allow. The timing of the deployment of United Kingdom immigration officers will depend upon ratification by the French Parliament of the Additional Protocol to the Sangatte Protocol governing the control of international traffic through the Channel Tunnel. We understand this will now take place in early summer 2001.
The United Kingdom Immigration Service proposes to staff juxtaposed controls from within its agreed staffing allocations for 2001–2002. It will have 1,000 more operational staff, (Assistant Immigration Officers, Immigration Officers and Chief Immigration Officers) in post in May this year than it did in April 2000. Waterloo will provide the immigration officers to operate the juxtaposed controls at Paris and Lille. Controls at Calais-Frethun will be conducted by staff deployed at the Channel Tunnel site at Coquelles. We do not intend to use staff from other areas of the Home Office.