Written question asked by Scott Arthur (Labour) on Thursday, 3 September 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 September 2026. It was answered by Anna Turley (Labour) on Friday, 11 September 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.
Undocumented Migrants: Boats
- Question
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To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, within the context of irregular immigration, how she defines what a small boat is.
- Answer
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The definition of a small boat can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats-last-7-days#about-the-data(opens in a new tab).
This reads as follows: Definition of a small boat A ‘small boat’ is one of a number of vessels used by individuals who cross the English Channel, with the aim of gaining entry to the UK without a visa or permission to enter – either directly by landing in the UK or having been intercepted at sea by the authorities and brought ashore. The most common small vessels detected making these types of crossings are rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs), dinghies and kayaks.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- 27103
- Session
- 2026-27
- Subjects
- Boats Undocumented migrants
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-09-11 14:49:10 +0100
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2026-27/27103
- In Indexing
- http://indexing.parliament.uk/Content/Edit/1?uri=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2026-27/27103
- In Solr
- https://search.parliament.uk/claw/solr/?id=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2026-27/27103