§ Fiona MactaggartTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases involving organised immigration racketeering his Department has referred for prosecution in each year since 1990; and with what results. [56465]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe Immigration Service and the police work closely together to investigate cases of suspected immigration racketeering. However, it is for the police to decide whether or not to refer a case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and for the CPS to decide whether or not a prosecution should be brought.
Under Section 25(1) of the Immigration Act 1971, it is an offence to secure or facilitate the entry of illegal entrants to the United Kingdom. The table shows the numbers of prosecutions and convictions in England and Wales under this section since 1990.
122W
Number of defendants prosecuted at magistrate's courts and convicted at all courts for offences1 under Section 25(1) of the Immigration Act 1971 as amended2,1990–19973 England and Wales Prosecutions Convictions 1990 46 32 1991 73 47 1992 63 56 1993 33 28 1994 124 38 1995 175 111 1996 153 123 19971 181 130 1 Principal immigration offence 2 As added by Section 5 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 3 Provisional