§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what immigration checks are in place at airports and ferry terminals in Northern Ireland; and under what legislation they are operating. [133296]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 21 October 2003]Permanent immigration controls operate on passengers arriving in Northern Ireland from outside the Common Travel Area (i.e. the United Kingdom (UK), Channel Islands, Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland) under powers contained in the Immigration Act 1971 which allows immigration officers to examine passengers for the purpose of determining whether they qualify for entry, and to refuse entry to those who do not.
Permanent facilities exist for examination of such passengers at Belfast International airport and temporary facilities operate at other airports within Northern Ireland as required. No permanent control facilities exist at any ferry port as there are no regular international ferry services.
In addition to the above arrangements, UK Immigration Service has a responsibility for detecting immigration offenders within the UK, including Northern Ireland.
Separate powers exist within the 1971 Act which enable Immigration Officers to arrest those reasonably suspected of being in the UK unlawfully and for the detention, pending removal from the UK, of those found to be here unlawfully.
UK Immigration Service staff periodically conduct exercises at the main air and ferry ports in Northern Ireland to identify immigration offenders travelling between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Offenders so identified are arrested or detained under the powers referred to above.
§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what restrictions there are upon immigration checks at airports and ferry terminals within Nothern Ireland in relation to the Common Travel Area; and on what basis immigration officers distinguish between those travelling within the CTA and those outside it. [133297]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 21 October 2003]The Immigration Act 1971 places statutory obligations upon airlines and ferry companies to ensure that passengers arriving from outside the Common Travel Area (CTA) are presented to an immigration officer, who has the power to examine them for the purpose of determining whether they qualify for entry, and to refuse those who do not. At Belfast International airport a separate pier exists for international passengers. At other airports, and when necessary at ferry ports, ad hoc arrangements are made to ensure that international passengers are similarly segregated from those on journeys within the CTA.
696WNo immigration controls operate on passengers travelling on journeys within the CTA. However, if identified by a police officer or by other sources of intelligence, Immigration Officers may arrest or detain immigration offenders travelling on flights within the CTA or indeed anywhere in the UK, with a view to their removal from the UK. In doing this they use separate powers of arrest and detention contained within the 1971 Act.