Written question asked by Paul Marsden (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 13 January 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 19 January 2004. It was answered by David Jamieson (Labour) on Monday, 19 January 2004 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Dept for Transport

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the (a) date and (b) nature of each incident involving ships in British waters assisting other vessels attempting to bring illegal immigrants to Britain since 1997; and what the names of the vessels were in each case. - Including fact that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency does not collect data relating to illegal immigration.

Answer: Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) date and (b) nature of each incident involving ships in British waters assisting other vessels attempting to bring illegal immigrants to Britain since 1997; and what the names of the vessels were in each case. [148502] Mr. Jamieson: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency co-ordinates the search and rescue of persons in distress at sea and responded to over 13,000 incidents in the last year. The Agency collects data about the nature of incidents, including the types of vessels involved in terms of whether they are commercial ships, fishing vessels or pleasure craft. However, the Agency does not collect data relating to illegal immigration. The UK Immigration Service also does not collate the information in the format requested. However, the Service does work closely with European counterparts to identify vessels concerned with smuggling potential illegal immigrants to the UK. In addition, as part of REFLEX, the government's multi-agency task force to combat organised immigration crime, the Immigration Service co-operates with other government departments to exchange information on those suspected of involvement in maritime smuggling.

Secondary information