Written question asked by Philip Hollobone (Conservative) on Wednesday, 26 April 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 2 May 2006. It was answered by Tony McNulty (Labour) on Monday, 8 May 2006 on behalf of the Home Office.

Asylum/Immigration

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with EU counterparts in controlling illegal immigration into the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: [holding answer 2 May 2006]: The Home Secretary regularly discusses illegal immigration with his EU counterparts. Since January 2005, he has attended numerous meetings, specifically eight EU Justice and Home Affairs Councils at which this issue has been raised. In addition, he has also had numerous bilateral meetings with his EU counterparts, in smaller groups, and non EU counterparts in the margins of these meetings and in visits they have made to the UK at which discussion of illegal immigration has played a prominent part. More particularly during the UK Presidency in the second half of 2005, he ensured that specific EU attention was given to illegal immigration including organised immigration crime. An EU action plan on human trafficking was agreed as well as a new approach to migration, both legal and illegal, with partner countries and regions, in particular Africa, which the European Council endorsed. Implementation of both of these programmes of work has begun and the UK is playing its full part in ensuring the EU delivers against the commitments made. The presidency also focused on measures to strengthen the EU's borders and, as part of work to strengthen the security of EU travel documents, reached intergovernmental agreement on non-binding common minimum security standards and issuing procedures in ID cards.

Secondary information