Written question asked by Claire Curtis-Thomas (Labour) on Wednesday, 3 March 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 17 March 2004. It was answered by Baroness Hughes of Stretford (Labour) on Wednesday, 17 March 2004 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the evaluation of the Netherlands' powers to require carriers to copy travel documents; and how this has influenced the Department's proposals.

Answer: Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the evaluation of the Netherlands' powers to require carriers to copy travel documents; and how this has influenced the Department's proposals. [159530] Beverley Hughes: Officials have been in contact with colleagues in The Netherlands and will continue to liaise with them as necessary. The system in The Netherlands works differently from the system the Government are proposing; a separate evaluation would, therefore, be of limited value at present. We will, however, consider the comparative effectiveness of the system in The Netherlands as part of the evaluation process of the Home Office trial.

Secondary information