§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has made to the Schengen Secretariat with regard to combating illegal immigration to the UK from Schengen states; and if he will make a statement. [134809]
§ Mrs. RocheNo representations have been made to the Schengen Secretariat (as part of the incorporation of Schengen into the European Union, the Schengen Secretariat has been subsumed into the Council Secretariat).
However, the United Kingdom is fully engaged in discussions at European Union level about combating illegal immigration, both from within and from outside the European Union. The United Kingdom is co-operating fully within Europol, where combating illegal immigration and trafficking receive top priority. We have extensive 429W operational contacts with our European Union colleagues. We also hold regular bilateral discussions with policy officials of other member states.
The United Kingdom is currently involved in negotiations on a number of measures at European Union level, aimed at combating illegal immigration, clandestine entry and facilitation. These include: a draft Directive defining the facilitation of unauthorised entry, movement and residence; a draft Council Framework Decision on strengthening the penal framework to prevent the facilitation of unauthorised entry and residence; and a draft Council Directive about harmonisation of financial penalties imposed on carriers transporting into the territory of member states third-country nationals not having the documents necessary for admission.