§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has made to his French counterpart on security on rail freight using the channel tunnel. [23315]
§ Angela EagleMy right hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised the current severe disruption to rail freight services through the channel tunnel with French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin on 29 November. He had previously written to M. Jospin on this subject on 16 November.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is in regular contact with his French counterpart Daniel Vaillant about the channel tunnel and other immigration matters. In addition, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport has both written and spoken to M. Gayssot, the French Transport Minister, emphasising the need for a speedy resolution.
Home Office officials and those from the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions are also in close contact with their French counterparts on a range of issues, including the security improvements required to allow the early resumption of full rail freight services. On 3 December, the head of security for SNCF informed the UK Immigration Service of their intention to speed up the improvements to anti-intrusion measures at the Frethun freight yard.