Asylum seekers who travel to the UK from France either commit a criminal offence of entering the UK without leave under section 24(B1) of the Immigration Act 1971, or of arriving in the UK without an entry clearance under section 24 (D1), depending on their method of entry or arrival. In line with the Kakaei and Bani judgments, those who are rescued and brought ashore (the majority of those crossing the channel in small boats) are deemed to have arrived without permission

The Home Office are able to provide the total number of individuals seeking asylum after crossing the English Channel in small boats who have been granted asylum in each of the last four years, from 2018-2021. However are not able to provide information prior to this date as there were no small boat crossing attempts.

The Home Office does not make forecasts of numbers crossing, given the multiplicity of variables involved.

The UK maintains regular contact with the Government of France on our joint cooperation to tackle illegal migration at the shared border at Ministerial and official level. The UK has committed several funding packages to supporting this work, including a bilateral arrangement which was reached between the UK and France on 20 July 2021.

The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. However, there is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.

France is a safe country, and, like the UK, it has an asylum system which provides protection to those who need it. People in France who need protection, can and should claim asylum there rather than refuse the chance to do so and travel illegally and dangerously to the UK instead.

It is for this reason that the UK Government will not negotiate to have centres in France where asylum seekers can apply for asylum to the UK. All asylum claims that are lodged from within the UK and admitted to the UK asylum system, are given full and careful consideration so that we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin.

The UK maintains regular contact with the Government of France on our joint cooperation to tackle illegal migration at the shared border at Ministerial and official level. The UK has committed several funding packages to supporting this work, including a bilateral arrangement which was reached between the UK and France on 20 July 2021.

The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. However, there is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.

France is a safe country, and, like the UK, it has an asylum system which provides protection to those who need it. People in France who need protection, can and should claim asylum there rather than refuse the chance to do so and travel illegally and dangerously to the UK instead.

It is for this reason that the UK Government will not negotiate to have centres in France where asylum seekers can apply for asylum to the UK. All asylum claims that are lodged from within the UK and admitted to the UK asylum system, are given full and careful consideration so that we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin.

These crossings are illegal, dangerous and unnecessary. France is a safe country with a fully-functioning asylum system, as are multiple countries in Europe through which these people have travelled. Our asylum system is broken – that is why the UK has been so attractive to those who could otherwise be assured of international protection in the safe countries of Europe – but through the Nationality and Borders Act we are getting it fixed. Our joint work with France is seeing more and more crossing attempts prevented before departure. Both the UK and France are committed to reducing these crossings attempts and to pursuing the criminal gangs who endanger people for profit.

These crossings are illegal, dangerous and unnecessary. France is a safe country with a fully-functioning asylum system, as are multiple countries in Europe through which these people have travelled. Our asylum system is broken – that is why the UK has been so attractive to those who could otherwise be assured of international protection in the safe countries of Europe – but through the Nationality and Borders Act we are getting it fixed. Our joint work with France is seeing more and more crossing attempts prevented before departure. Both the UK and France are committed to reducing these crossings attempts and to pursuing the criminal gangs who endanger people for profit.

The number of people who can be relocated to Rwanda under the Migration and Economic Development Partnership is uncapped. This is part of a suite of measures aimed at breaking the business model of people smuggling gangs, and as with all policies its impact will be kept under review.

The Home Office works with a wide range of stakeholders on a co-operative basis, ensuring that they are aware of the Voluntary Returns Service (VRS) and its offer, and how to ensure interested members of the community can apply. IOM is one of many such organisations which we engage with on a regular basis.

Separate to the VRS, the Facilitated Return Scheme (FRS) offers all foreign national offenders with a determinate prison sentence the opportunity to volunteer to return to their country of origin. Under separate arrangements set out in policy, the Home Office also provides financial assistance to certain groups of migrants to assist with reintegration in their country of origin after departure from the UK. IOM assist in the capacity of some post-arrival reception services linked to and outside of the FRS scheme.

Legislation in the Nationality and Borders Bill does not in itself enable overseas asylum processing; we need a deal with a likeminded partner for that. I will not tie the hands of our negotiators by commenting on the content nor form of a deal, this is a matter for the negotiating table.

The Home Office are currently considering advice from the independent UK Statistics Authority to make sure statistics on small boats crossing are published in an orderly way, which provides a clear picture of the small boats issue to the public. The Home Office has recently announced its intention to publish a quarterly statistics release on irregular migration to the UK, including the number of people arriving across the Channel in small boats. The first release will be on 24 February 2022. This will ensure regular statistics are released in an orderly, transparent way that is accessible to everyone, meeting the principles set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

No final decisions have been made in relation to the release of small boat numbers, beyond the quarterly publication, and further details will be confirmed in due course. In the meantime, the Home Office continues to provide these to journalists on days where we see arrivals.

Illegal migrants detected in the UK are subject to comprehensive identity and security checks, including biometric checks.

By its very nature, it is not possible to know the exact size of the illegal population and so we do not seek to make any official estimates on this. For the same reason, we cannot know the nationalities or routes to illegal status of the hidden population. The Home Office is, however, conducting analysis to better understand the nature of the illegal migrant population in the United Kingdom and how individuals move in to and out of it.

The vast majority of people leave the UK on time, in line with the expiry of their visa or leave to remain. However, those who have no right to remain in the UK and do not return home voluntarily should be in no doubt of our determination to remove them.

The Government’s New Plan for Immigration will make it harder for people to enter and live in the UK illegally, whilst ensuring that those who do have the right to reside in the UK can do so.

All individuals arriving by small boats are tested by the Home Office for COVID-19 using a lateral flow test immediately on arrival. If the result is positive, they are immediately isolated along with any family members.

Testing of migrants arriving in the UK by other irregular means may vary depending on who is the first responder. However, in line with recent updates to the Government’s Coronavirus regulations, new arrivals to Immigration removal centres and residential short-term holding facilities are tested on or by day 2 by PCR test. Within asylum accommodation, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office conduct day 2 and day 8 testing, which is administered and managed by our service provider staff on site.

The Home Office does not routinely publish information on the proportion of migrants testing positive for COVID-19.

People arriving by small boats across the Channel are subject to stringent checks on arrival in the UK and again as they are processed into the asylum system.

Immediately on arrival, initial identity checks are undertaken for all individuals over the age of five, based on the name given and fingerprints are checked against immigration and Police criminal databases.

Once triaged and moved to appropriate accommodation, arrivals will be subject to additional checks as part of the asylum intake process. This will include identity and biometric enrolment based on fingerprints taken, with details checked against law enforcement, immigration, Police and security databases. There may be some individual cases where these checks are not conducted. It is not possible to check these details against the EU systems to which the UK has access under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement because use of those systems is only permitted for law enforcement, not immigration purposes.

This tragic incident, in which at least 27 people lost their lives, occurred in French waters. Whilst the UK assisted in the immediate search and rescue operation and has offered support to the French authorities in their follow up operation, it remains a French-led criminal investigation. As such, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further except to refer the Noble Lord to the information which the French authorities have already put into the public domain.

At no stage has the Government claimed that the majority of migrants crossing the English Channel are part of criminal gangs. What has been said is that the majority of crossings are judged to be facilitated by criminal gangs.

These crossings are dangerous and unnecessary – France is a safe country with a fully-functioning asylum system, and those in need of refuge have no need to make these hazardous journeys. Those who attempt to cross are endangering themselves and those who have to rescue them. And those who facilitate them are risking the lives of others in the selfish pursuit of profit. Tragically, we have seen further deaths in the last few weeks of people trying to cross the Channel in small boats. We make no apology therefore for going after the evil people smuggling gangs who facilitate the majority of these crossings.

We must ensure that those involved in people smuggling are punished with the severity it rightly deserves. The Nationality and Borders Bill will enable this and will also act as a much stronger deterrent for those tempted to pursue that despicable path. These long overdue reforms will break the business model of the criminal trafficking networks and make their activities unviable.

The UK is in discussions regarding the returns of asylum seekers to European Member States; it would not be appropriate to provide a running commentary on these negotiations.

Whilst we are working to secure appropriate new return agreements with safe, third countries, we continue to return people on a case-by-case basis.

Our inadmissibility provisions in the Immigration Rules give us the legal basis to declare an asylum claim as inadmissible where a person has a connection to or has passed through a safe country. The first returns on inadmissible grounds have been successfully carried out.

The latest statistics which were published in August 2021, can be found on gov.uk. The next set of data is due to be published in November 2021.

The published Detention Services Order 08/2012 sets out the Home Office’s policy on detained individuals’ possession of mobile phones in immigration removal centres.

To enable contact with friends, family and legal representatives, where individuals do not have a suitable mobile phone, Home Office suppliers can provide temporary access to basic model mobile phones for individuals in detention, or those awaiting initial processing. These mobile phones are returned when individuals leave the respective centre.

No mobile phones are provided in Initial Asylum Accommodation, however; individuals can request a data sim card which enables internet access, for use during their stay.

Border Security is a reserved matter. Consequently, discussions on this subject have not taken place with the devolved administrations, and there are no plans to do so.

The Home Office publishes data on the number of returns from the UK in each quarter in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly release’. The latest data on enforced returns (of which ‘deportations’ is a subset) go to the end of March 2021 and are published in Ret_D01 of the Returns detailed tables.

The term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns, which are enforced either following a criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily. Figures on deportations, which are a subset of enforced returns, are not separately available.

The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have any legal right to stay in the UK, which includes people who:

• enter, or attempt to enter, the UK illegally (including people entering clandestinely and by means of deception on entry);
• overstay their period of legal right to remain in the UK;
• breach their conditions of leave;
• are subject to deportation action; for example, due to a serious criminal conviction and
• have been refused asylum.

Data on the costs of migrants from this specific group is not collected. The cost of the asylum system to the taxpayer was published in the New Plan for Immigration policy statement.

New Plan for Immigration policy statement

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/972517/CCS207_CCS0820091708-001_Sovereign_Borders_Web_Accessible.pdf

Immigration and Protection data

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-and-protection-data-q1-2021

The Home Office collates figures of channel migrant arrivals for management information purposes, and weekly arrivals data is therefore held. However, the Home Office preference for validation and assurance of data is for monthly figures as weekly data are not representative of trends and other factors that we deem important to understand small boat crossings.

The following figures for both monthly and weekly arrivals of migrants by small boat in 2021 are from a live database, and are subject to revision following those data validation and assurance processes.

The Home Office does not have plans to show by nationality the number of illegal immigrants who have been taken into custody upon arrival in the UK in the 12 months from September 2020.

The National Crime Agency’s National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime for 2021 includes a section on organised immigration crime and the use of small boats. The full assessment may be found here:

www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/who-we-are/publications/533-national-strategic-assessment-of-serious-and-organised-crime-2021/file

The assessment notes that, ‘The increase in small boats use is almost certainly a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions affecting freight and air transport, in addition to enhanced security around the UK-operated border controls at Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk’ and ‘It is highly likely OCGs and migrants are attracted to the high success rate and low cost-high profit nature of small boats compared to HGV facilitation’.

The UK’s departure from the EU has not made a material difference to the methods of the criminal gangs or our joint activity with European partners to stop them. The UK and France share a history of cooperation on this issue, seen in our commitments under the Sandhurst Treaty and Small Boats Action Plan and most recently via the action agreed in the joint statement between the Home Secretary and Minister Darmanin on 20 July. We have an excellent relationship with our French counterparts and are grateful for their continued commitment.

Increasing numbers of French law enforcement officers, supported by UK funding, are patrolling beaches and are preventing more and more crossing attempts. Nearly 10000 crossing attempts have been prevented so far this year.

The Government’s Nationality and Borders Bill will seek to reform the system, including by deterring illegal entry into the UK, breaking the business model of criminal facilitation, and saving lives.

The Home Office is following guidance published by Public Health England, Health Protection Scotland and the NHS with regards to COVID testing for migrant arrivals.

All migrants are tested on arrival with a lateral flow test, any refusing are treated as if infectious and isolated. Lateral flow testing is a fast and simple way to test people who do not have symptoms of COVID-19, but who may still be spreading the virus. Arrivals who present as symptomatic or who provide a positive lateral flow test are allocated to an approved quarantine site.

Due to the small possibility of false positives associated with lateral flow tests, any individual who receives a positive result at a residential short-term holding facility in England or an Immigration Removal Centre, will be offered a PRC test to confirm the result. Any detained individual with symptoms of COVID-19, or testing positive for COVID-19 will be placed in protective isolation for at least 10 days and Public Health England informed.

We do not hold information regarding the percentage which have been genomically sequenced as this is the responsibility of Public Health England.

The Home Office is following guidance published by Public Health England, Health Protection Scotland and the NHS with regards to COVID testing for migrant arrivals.

All migrants are tested on arrival with a lateral flow test, any refusing are treated as if infectious and isolated. Lateral flow testing is a fast and simple way to test people who do not have symptoms of COVID-19, but who may still be spreading the virus. Arrivals who present as symptomatic or who provide a positive lateral flow test are allocated to an approved quarantine site.

Due to the small possibility of false positives associated with lateral flow tests, any individual who receives a positive result at a residential short-term holding facility in England or an Immigration Removal Centre, will be offered a PRC test to confirm the result. Any detained individual with symptoms of COVID-19, or testing positive for COVID-19 will be placed in protective isolation for at least 10 days and Public Health England informed.

We do not hold information regarding the percentage which have been genomically sequenced as this is the responsibility of Public Health England.

The Home Office did reply to Mr Sharrod’s letters of 13 August 2020 and 20 October 2020, which was raised with the Home Office by a member in another place.

The Home Office previously engaged with the French on this issue of the applicability of French maritime regulation to migrant vessels and will continue to do so. However, any decision on when, where and how to apply French law in this area must be a matter for the French, in their jurisdiction. The Home Office is aware of France's obligations under the Migrant Smuggling Protocol to prevent illegal migration.

Our New Plan for Immigration and the legislation to implement it will bring root and branch reform to the asylum system. We will take tougher action against anyone who facilitates illegal entry, such as by piloting a small boat. We plan to increase the maximum sentence for people smuggling to life imprisonment.

Border Force will be granted additional powers to stop illegal migration, including the ability to stop and redirect vessels at sea. These reforms will break the business model of criminal trafficking networks. They will deter illegal entry into this country and make it unviable.

The Home Office did reply to Mr Sharrod’s letters of 13 August 2020 and 20 October 2020, which was raised with the Home Office by a member in another place.

The Home Office previously engaged with the French on this issue of the applicability of French maritime regulation to migrant vessels and will continue to do so. However, any decision on when, where and how to apply French law in this area must be a matter for the French, in their jurisdiction. The Home Office is aware of France's obligations under the Migrant Smuggling Protocol to prevent illegal migration.

Our New Plan for Immigration and the legislation to implement it will bring root and branch reform to the asylum system. We will take tougher action against anyone who facilitates illegal entry, such as by piloting a small boat. We plan to increase the maximum sentence for people smuggling to life imprisonment.

Border Force will be granted additional powers to stop illegal migration, including the ability to stop and redirect vessels at sea. These reforms will break the business model of criminal trafficking networks. They will deter illegal entry into this country and make it unviable.

The Home Office did reply to Mr Sharrod’s letters of 13 August 2020 and 20 October 2020, which was raised with the Home Office by a member in another place.

The Home Office previously engaged with the French on this issue of the applicability of French maritime regulation to migrant vessels and will continue to do so. However, any decision on when, where and how to apply French law in this area must be a matter for the French, in their jurisdiction. The Home Office is aware of France's obligations under the Migrant Smuggling Protocol to prevent illegal migration.

Our New Plan for Immigration and the legislation to implement it will bring root and branch reform to the asylum system. We will take tougher action against anyone who facilitates illegal entry, such as by piloting a small boat. We plan to increase the maximum sentence for people smuggling to life imprisonment.

Border Force will be granted additional powers to stop illegal migration, including the ability to stop and redirect vessels at sea. These reforms will break the business model of criminal trafficking networks. They will deter illegal entry into this country and make it unviable.

The Home Office previously engaged with the French on this issue of the applicability of French maritime regulation to migrant vessels and will continue to do so. However, any decision on when, where and how to apply French law in this area must be a matter for the French, in their jurisdiction.

Our New Plan for Immigration and the legislation to implement it will bring root and branch reform to the asylum system. We will take tougher action against anyone who facilitates illegal entry, such as by piloting a small boat. We plan to increase the maximum sentence for people smuggling to life imprisonment.

Border Force will be granted additional powers to stop illegal migration, including the ability to stop and redirect vessels at sea. These reforms will break the business model of criminal trafficking networks. They will deter illegal entry into this country and make it unviable.

The current family reunion policy allows a partner and children under 18 of those granted protection in the UK to join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country. Over 29,000 visas have been issued under this route in the last 5 years.

Currently, a person is eligible to sponsor a family reunion application as soon as they have been granted refugee status or humanitarian protection. There is no limit or timescale when they stop becoming eligible, other than if they become naturalised and obtain British citizenship. Once someone overseas applies for a family reunion visa, our customer service standard is 60 UK working days for straightforward cases.

As set out in the New Plan for Immigration policy statement published on 24 March, we are committed to review the refugee family reunion routes available to refugees who have arrived through safe and legal routes. Subject to considering consultation responses, those who are granted the new temporary protection status are proposed to have limited family reunion rights.

We have initiated a comprehensive consultation and engagement process which is open now until 6 May. We will use this opportunity to listen to a wide range of views from stakeholders across the sector, as well as members of the public. All policy development will be undertaken in line with the law, including our equalities duties and international obligations.

As part of the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangements, the UK does not operate routine immigration controls on journeys from within the CTA, with no immigration checks whatsoever on the Northern Ireland-Ireland land border. However, everyone entering the UK, regardless of where they enter from, is required to meet UK immigration framework. The UK does conduct intelligence-led controls on CTA routes, including away from the land border in Northern Ireland. This is to detect those who intend to abuse CTA arrangements. Anyone identified attempting to circumvent UK border controls is liable to be removed, if they are not lawfully present within the UK.

We also work closely with Ireland to secure the external CTA border, including data sharing and operational co-operation.

As part of the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangements, the UK does not operate routine immigration controls on journeys from within the CTA, with no immigration checks whatsoever on the Northern Ireland-Ireland land border. However, everyone entering the UK, regardless of where they enter from, is required to meet UK immigration framework. The UK does conduct intelligence-led controls on CTA routes, including away from the land border in Northern Ireland. This is to detect those who intend to abuse CTA arrangements. Anyone identified attempting to circumvent UK border controls is liable to be removed, if they are not lawfully present within the UK.

We also work closely with Ireland to secure the external CTA border, including data sharing and operational co-operation.

EU migrants whose visas expire will be identified and treated in the same way as any other overstayers.

In November the UK and France agreed a package of £28.1m to support a range of activity as part of ongoing efforts to address illegal migration. The impact on migration pressures of this investment is regularly assessed by France and the UK through jointly agreed results frameworks. We are not intending to publish detailed information on the evaluation of the funding agreed with the French Government, as it relates to sensitive operational activity.

As you will appreciate, by its very nature, it is impossible to know the precise size of the illegal migrant population within the UK and thus the Home Office does not seek to make any official estimates.

The Home Office is following national guidance in relation to Covid-19 testing, as set out by Public Health England. Since quarantine measures were introduced in June, those individuals who are encountered illegally entering the UK have been placed in facilities where they must self-isolate for 14 days, given we cannot be certain which countries they have travelled through.

Anyone who is symptomatic will be taken to designated accommodation and tested according to Public Health England guidance. An adapted regime is in place in our facilities to enable social distancing and reasonable restrictions are in place to manage the risks of Covid-19 spreading.

Additionally NHS trusts have been advised that no immigration checks are required for overseas visitors that are known to be only undergoing testing or treatment for COVID-19: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-entitlements-migrant-health-guide

This week’s tragic event highlights the danger to life from channel crossings and the need to stop callous criminals exploiting vulnerable people.

Safe and legal routes are a core part of our proposed reforms to the asylum system to ensure it is both firm and fair. As Baroness Williams has previously made clear in Lords, as an integral part of that work the Government will conduct a review of safe and legal routes to the UK for asylum seekers, refugees and their families. This government intends to bring forward legislation next year that will deliver some of our much-needed reforms.

The UK already provides safe and legal routes for people to join family members in the UK through existing Immigration Rules and have a proud record of providing safety to those who need it through our world-leading resettlement schemes.

Whilst the numbers of people arriving in the UK by illegally-facilitated small boats have increased this financial year, numbers of those arriving by other illegal means, such as air, have fallen.

The Home Office publishes data regarding its financial accounts on the GOV.UK website as part of its financial reporting procedures, and also as part of the transparency agenda. The latest report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2019-to-2020.

We do not routinely publish breakdowns of operational Departmental spending, and are unable to provide this information, as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The Government has been clear that we will do everything we can to stop these crossings and make this route unviable.

The responsibilities of the Clandestine Channel Threat Commander can be found https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-secretary-appoints-small-boat-commander

The new Clandestine Channel Threat Commander will collaborate closely with the French to build on the joint work already underway, urgently exploring tougher action in France, including stronger enforcement measures and adopting interceptions at sea and the direct return of boats. For more information see attached Press Release.

The Clandestine Channel Threat Commander refers to threat assessments produced by intelligence experts from across law enforcement agencies and wider Government.

The Clandestine Channel Threat Commander is focused on four key strategic objectives.

These include working with France to reduce the number of migrants in Calais seeking to cross the Channel; tackling the organised crime groups who facilitate many of the journeys; stopping attempts to cross the border illegally; and supporting reform of the asylum system, increased penalties and maximised returns – to remove the incentives for people to seek to reach the UK via small boat and other dangerous methods.

Since we introduced quarantine measures in June, those who have come to the UK in illegally facilitated crossings have been placed in facilities where they must self-isolate for 14 days, given we cannot be certain which countries they have travelled through.

Anyone who is symptomatic will be taken to designated accommodation and tested according to Public Health England guidance.

All immigration removal centres have communicable disease contingency plans, based on guidance by Public Health England (PHE). Measures such as protective shielding, improved hygiene and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) are being used to minimise the risk of COVID-19 spreading to vulnerable groups in IRCs.

On 26 March the High Court ruled that the Home Office was taking sensible, precautionary measures in relation to COVID-19 and immigration detention.

The UK and France maintain a longstanding relationship on tackling illegal migration at the shared border and the UK has committed several funding packages to supporting this work in recent years. These include:

o In September 2019 the Joint Action Plan on Combatting Illegal Migration Involving Small Boats (‘Small Boats Action Plan’) was signed. The UK committed €3.6m (£3.25m) to tackling the issue. These funds were utilised for the delivery of strategic communications campaigns and the provision of equipment to improve detection of small boats crossings. This was later supplemented with a further €2.5m (£2.25m) in the 19/20 Financial Year, which was dedicated to the deployment of Gendarme Reservists and further strengthening preventive security measures at the French coast.

o In January 2018 both countries signed the Sandhurst Treaty, under which the UK made a commitment of €50 million (£45.5m) for activity to prevent illegal migration.

The UK and France are committed to ensuring value for money in investment. The UK and France carried out a joint review of bilateral cooperation under the Sandhurst Treaty, which concluded that this programme of work has made a difference to illegal migration. France also continues to invest significant resource into tackling this issue as part of a joint response with the UK.

In addition to the above sums outlined, we have also invested the following:

o The September 2014 Joint Declaration committed £12m for security improvements at Calais, Dunkirk, and the Eurotunnel terminal at Coquelles. This was supplemented by £1 million for fencing and by £1.7 million to support an enhanced secure freight zone at Calais.

o In 2015, both countries signed a Joint Declaration which committed £45.96 million (majority to Eurotunnel) towards security enhancements of the juxtaposed controls and to moving migrants into reception centres across France.

o This was followed by payments in 2016 (£17 million) and a further (£36 million) to strengthen the border and maintain the operation of the juxtaposed controls.

The UK has a duty both to prevent loss of life and protect the integrity of our border. In doing so we have domestic and international laws to comply with. Search and Rescue (SAR) legal provisions derive from a number of international conventions, in particular the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea 1974 (SOLAS) and the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue 1979 (the SAR Convention). Under these provisions both the UK and France both have a duty to save lives, and if a boat encounters difficulty and is in distress then there is a need to protect life.

French authorities and vessels do attempt to persuade migrants to abandon their journey and allow themselves to be rescued but are at times met with extreme hostility from migrants. French assets will generally remain with the migrant vessel to ensure they are on-hand in case a rescue is required. The French do not believe forcible interceptions would be safe or permitted under SOLAS or SAR operations.

We are doing everything we can to stop these dangerous Channel crossings and bring to justice the criminals behind this organised immigration crime.

We are also continuing to engage with our French counterparts both on an operational and political level, exploring all options to reduce the number of people attempting this dangerous crossing.

All passengers arriving in the UK at passport control are checked against Home Office databases. The majority of these are checked against our systems before they even travel, through the collection of advanced passenger information (API).

Border Force defines General Aviation (GA) and General Maritime (GM) as any arrival into the UK that is not operating to a specific and published schedule and departing at both small airports and marinas with no Border Force presence, and at major airports where Border Force officers are located. Both EU/EEA citizens (1) and visa nationals (2) may arrive at General Aviation or General Maritime ports

There is a requirement for advance passenger information to be submitted for General Aviation and General Maritime arrivals. When the relevant information is received, and there is a requirement to examine the passenger, Border Force Officers will be deployed.

All unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) who arrive in the UK are treated in line with established processes. Upon arrival, an unaccompanied child will undergo a number of mandatory checks and will be interviewed in order to identify any safeguarding concerns. On completion, a child will then be handed to a local authority for them to provide the necessary support under their statutory duties as set out in the Children Act 1989.