§ Patrick MercerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of cargo ships over 500 tonnes that docked in Britain in 2003 were boarded and searched by border security personnel. [170065]
§ Mr. JamiesonShips calling at UK ports may be boarded for a variety of reasons and such operations are conducted by different Government bodies and agencies; including the Police, Immigration, Customs and Excise, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), and my own Department's Transport Security Directorate (TRANSEC) inspectors. This information is not collated centrally.