HC Deb 28 April 2004 vol 420 cc1110-1W
Lembit Öpik

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons concealed in vehicles were detected at border control points in the UK in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [160373]

Mr. Browne

Detailed figures are not kept nationally of the number of illegal immigrants detected in the UK. However locally collated management information indicates that in the Kent area the following numbers were detected at ports of entry

Detected at port
2001 3,061
2002 3,513
2003 1,777

Lembit Öpik

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many personnel are employed by his Department for the purpose of the detection of stowaways in vehicles at UK points of entry; and if he will make a statement. [160379]

Mr. Browne

During the month of January 2004 there were on average 116 staff engaged daily in the detection of clandestine entrants at UK ports of entry and at the juxtaposed controls.

Lembit Öpik

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average inspection time spent per vehicle at UK border checkpoints was when checking for stowaways in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [160381]

Mr. Browne

While records are kept, for vehicles travelling through Calais, Dover and Coquelles, of the number of lorries searched and the technology used, no records are routinely kept of the time taken to conduct the search. However the current average time to search a vehicle is estimated as between one and four minutes depending on the search methods.

Lembit Öpik

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the average time that a stowaway has been in a vehicle prior to detection at a border control point in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [160382]

Mr. Browne

Persons who attempt to enter the United Kingdom illegally as clandestine entrants concealed in vehicles, will enter that vehicle at a variety of points in the journey. These can be close to the port of embarkation, or at the start of the journey perhaps in the country of origin.

While the UK Immigration Service systematically interviews clandestine entrants about their routes to the UK, no records are kept of the length of time a person claims to have remained in a vehicle.

The juxtaposed border controls now established in France at Calais, Dunkerque and Coquelles make detections of clandestines much earlier in the journey. This not only maintains the integrity of the United Kingdom border but also helps to prevent injury or death to persons concealed within vehicles while crossing the channel.