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Written question asked by Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party) on Friday, 10 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 July 2026 (named day). It was answered by Mike Tapp (Labour) on Wednesday, 15 July 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Immigration Controls

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times UK Border Force has exercised powers to stop, board and inspect vehicles, public transport, buses and boats for immigration purposes in each of the last five calendar years.

Answer

The Home Office does not hold centrally collated data on the number of occasions Border Force has exercised powers to stop, board and inspect vehicles, public transport, buses and boats for immigration purposes in each of the last five calendar years.

Border Force officers have powers under immigration legislation to stop, board, examine and search vehicles and vessels for immigration purposes. These powers are exercised routinely as part of day-to-day border operations and are not routinely recorded or centrally collated in a way that would enable the Department to provide the figures requested.

While Border Force maintains operational records relating to passengers and immigration checks, it does not hold data on the number of vehicles or vessels examinations undertaken.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
17733
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Boats Inspections Immigration controls Motor vehicles Powers UK Border Force
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk