HC Deb 13 June 2003 vol 406 cc144-6W
Mr. Malins

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the steps that he has taken(a) to detect illegal entry at British ports and (b) to deter illegal entrants at French and Belgian ports in the last three years. [115316]

Beverley Hughes

[holding answer 22 May 2003]A number of measures have been introduced over the period in question to detect and deter illegal entrants both in the UK and at ports abroad. These have includedChanging the law on people smuggling (by means of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999), increasing the maximum penalty for facilitating illegal entry to 14 years; Introducing (and subsequently amending) civil penalty provisions in order to encourage road hauliers to take appropriate measures to prevent unauthorised persons travelling to the UK in their vehicles. Combined with the potential liability of sea carriers to carriers" liability charges the Civil Penalty has also encouraged port authorities and sea carriers to take measures to improve their security, including the searching of vehicles; Obtaining a Memorandum of Understanding with the French and Belgian authorities to further the exchange of intelligence and joint working to disrupt the flows of illegal immigrants; Securing a similar agreement with the French which has ensured close collaboration in the fight against cross channel organised immigration crime; Co-ordinating all activity against people smugglers through a multi-agency task force, which brings together the combined expertise of the National Crime Squad, National Criminal Intelligence Service, Immigration Service, police forces, the intelligence community and a range of government departments; Deploying new detection technology, including gamma x-ray scanners at Dover; Securing agreement with the French government for the deployment at Calais of new detection equipment, including thermal imaging and acoustic sensors to help detect people illegally concealed in vehicles and containers and prevent them embarking for the United Kingdom; Obtaining the agreement of the French authorities for the closure of the Sangatte Refugee Centre; Concluding agreements with the governments of France and Belgium for the deployment of the new detection technology at other ports in northern continental Europe; Establishing juxtaposed immigration controls operated by the UK and French authorities at Waterloo and Coquelles, later extended to Paris and Lille; Negotiating a Treaty with the French authorities to extend juxtaposed controls to other French ports, including Calais; Agreeing with the Belgian authorities and carrying out pre-clearance operations at Brussels, which have proved highly successful in denying the passage of possible illegals to the United Kingdom.

These measures have all been implemented as part of an over-arching strategy to develop a more intelligence led control and to concentrate on intake reduction by preventing potential illegal entrants from travelling to the UK.

Mr. Malins

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to renegotiate the bilateral agreement with France concerning illegal immigrants which lapsed in 1997. [115310]

Beverley Hughes

[holding answer 22 May 2003]The 1995 Anglo-French "Gentleman"s Agreement" continues to apply to illegal entrants who arrive from France and did not lapse in 1997. It was the agreement"s application to asylum seekers that ceased in that year, upon entry into force of the Dublin Convention, as had always been agreed by both parties.

It is generally accepted that the Dublin Convention has not worked as well as had been hoped. However, it is to be replaced by the Dublin II Regulation in September this year. This instrument represents a notable improvement on the existing asylum transfer arrangements and encourages Member States to arrange bilateral agreements in order to facilitate the mechanism.

Flanked by the Eurodac fingerprint database, which is already operational, the UK will be able to effect the return of a greater number of asylum seekers to the Member States most responsible for their presence on EU territory.