§ Lord Northfieldasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why, when Eurostar has been in service for some months, sufficient immigration staff have not yet been allocated to allow inspection of passports on all trains from Paris to London; and whether they are aware of the impression this delay creates among visiting foreigners.
§ Baroness BlatchImmigration controls are normally carried out on board all Eurostar services from Paris, but there are occasions when this is not possible. This is not because of staffing shortages but for a variety of operational reasons. The Immigration Service is striving to keep these exceptions to a minimum and to ensure that, when controls are carried out on arrival at Waterloo, passengers are dealt with speedily and within the published service standards.