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Written question asked by Shivani Raja (Conservative) on Tuesday, 27 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 29 January 2026. It was answered by Mike Tapp (Labour) on Wednesday, 4 February 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Immigration Controls: Biometrics

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the use of UK e-gates by nationals of countries that do not offer reciprocal access to UK passport holders; and what assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing reciprocity requirements.

Answer

The Government operates the UK border solely in the best interests of the UK, not the principle of reciprocity as this could undermine our security and ability to respond to emerging border pressures or threats.

We recommend all eligible nationals make use of eGates where possible, as they provide a safe, secure and efficient method of entering the UK, however, we continue to keep eGate eligibility under review to ensure we are balancing border security and passenger flow

In May 2025, we published the Immigration White Paper, which stated we are moving to the next phase of our vision to transform the UK border, by using technology to increase the use of automation and make visible changes to security, flow and the passenger experience.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
108862
Session
2024-26
Related items
Restoring Control over the Immigration System
Monday, 12 May 2025
Command papers
House of Commons
House of Lords
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Biometrics Immigration controls Foreign nationals Reciprocal arrangements
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk