§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many apprehended clandestine immigrants have claimed to have entered the UK via Portsmouth ferry port but have been apprehended elsewhere in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [75449]
§ Beverley HughesThe Home Office does not collate statistics in relation to where illegal immigrants claimed to have clandestinely entered the United Kingdom. Although attempts are made to capture this data the responses given are unreliable. Most claim not to know where they specifically entered the United Kingdom or where they embarked from in Europe, or are unwilling to divulge this information.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with cross-channel ferry companies concerning the improved detection of clandestine immigrants entering the UK; and if he will make a statement. [75451]
§ Beverley HughesThe UK Immigration Service (UKIS) has close working relationships with cross channel ferry companies and has regular contact with the management and staff of P&O Ferries, SeaFrance, Norfolk Line, Hoverspeed, TransEuropa and Brittany Ferries. UKIS officers offer support and advice in respect of inadmissible passengers and clandestine entry.
The government is taking forward a project to procure new detection technology equipment for deployment at Continental Channel ports serving the United Kingdom. It is proposed that this be made available on a loan basis to port and/or ferry operators to supplement the search regimes that they already conduct by visual checks and using CO2 detectors.
In taking this project forward, UK Immigration Service officials propose to visit all ports which pose an actual or potential risk of clandestine traffic to the UK and have already visited Calais, Dunkirk, Ostend, Zeebrugge and Cherbourg. In each case there has been dialogue with port and ferry operators to determine their equipment needs, how it will be operated and by whom.
Good progress has been made at those ports visited and both port and ferry operators have shown enthusiasm for the initiative, which will provide both a deterrent to clandestine entry and a considerable service to the road haulage industry. Remaining ports will be visited in the near future.
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§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many apprehended clandestine immigrants who have claimed to have entered the UK via Portsmouth have sought asylum in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [75448]
§ Beverley HughesThe Home Office does not collate statistics in relation to where asylum seekers claimed to have entered the United Kingdom clandestinely. Attempts are made to capture this data through initial screening and interviews for asylum. However, the information provided by those seeking asylum is often unreliable as most claim not to know where they entered the United Kingdom or unwilling to divulge this.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to improve the detection of clandestine immigrants coming to the UK via(a) St. Malo, (b) Caen, (c) Le Havre and (d) Cherbourg; and if he will make a statement. [75443]
§ Beverley HughesThe government are determined to reduce the flow of clandestine entry to the United Kingdom from Continental Channel ports in freight vehicles and, as a first step in a project, are procuring new detection technology equipment for the use of port/ferry operators in Calais to supplement the vehicle checks already conducted there. This is the first of a number of initiatives, which will provide a significant deterrent to clandestine entry to the United Kingdom and to strengthen our controls at the Channel ports.
It is recognised, however, that these positive measures in Calais may initially result in displacement of clandestine traffic to other Continental ports. As a precaution extra freight searching operations have been conducted in Poole and Portsmouth by UK Immigration Service (UKIS) in respect of vessels arriving from France. Results of these extra searches revealed no indication of significant displacement of clandestine traffic into these ports. Consideration is also being given to the deployment of mobile detection units in order to respond more quickly to changing threats in respect of cross-channel illegal migration.
Funding has also been made available for the procurement of additional equipment for deployment in those ports and considerable progress has already been made.
In taking the project forward, Immigration Service officials have visited a number of ports to assess the risk of displacement, current security measures and the extent of their equipment needs. In all cases, port and other officials have welcomed the initiative and have voiced their willingness to participate. Cherbourg is amongst those ports already visited and further visits are planned to others, including St. Malo, Caen and Le Havre.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many clandestine immigrants have entered the UK via Portsmouth ferry port in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [75450]
§ Beverley HughesThe nature of clandestine entry is such that it is not possible to state how many people have entered the UK clandestinely via Portsmouth in the last five years. However, the department is able to 333W state how many clandestines have actually been detected by UKIS at the port of Portsmouth. There has been a decreasing number of clandestines detected over a five year period:
- 1998–239 detected
- 1999–181
- 2000–102
- 2001–91
- 2002–28 (in the first six months of the year)
The decrease is attributed to current initiatives, which include close working relationships with carriers which has resulted in an increased detection of clandestines in the French ports prior to travel.