Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals entering the UK from Israel or Palestine, who are not UK–Israeli citizens or IDF veterans or serving personnel, the UK Border Force detained for questioning in the periods (1) October 2023 to present, (2) October 2022–October 2023, and (3) October 2021–October 2022.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Border Force does not publish information on operational activities. Doing so would publicise operational practices which would be used to assist in the evasion of customs controls and compromise border security.

However, the Home Office published data can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65d887a154f1e70011165914/passengers-refused-entry-border-datasets-dec-2023.xlsx.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) UK–Israeli citizens, and (2) IDF veterans or serving personnel, the UK Border Force detained for questioning in the periods (a) October 2023 to present, (b) October 2022–October 2023, and (c) October 2021–October 2022.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Border Force does not publish information on operational activities. Doing so would publicise operational practices which would be used to assist in the evasion of customs controls and compromise border security.

However, the Home Office published data can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65d887a154f1e70011165914/passengers-refused-entry-border-datasets-dec-2023.xlsx.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what policies, guidance and practices the Border Force has adopted in relation to the arrival of (1) Israeli nationals, and (2) individuals with joint UK–Israeli citizenship in the UK; and whether there has been any change in this policy and its operation since October 2023.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Border Force’s number one priority is to keep our borders safe and secure, and we will never compromise on this.

Border Force would not comment on individual policies that could jeopardise border security.

Border Force performs checks on 100% of passengers arriving at the UK border on scheduled services, enabling interventions against those known or suspected to pose a risk to the national interest.

There are many reasons why a Border Force Officer may feel it necessary to ask additional questions to satisfy themselves of eligibility to enter. Officers carry out checks that are deemed necessary in accordance with immigration procedures.

In the UK, the Immigration Rules require all arriving passengers, regardless of their nationality or country they arrived from, to establish their eligibility for admission. To maintain a safe and secure border, a passenger’s passport or national identity card is checked. There are also times when extra checks are conducted.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what policies, guidance and practices the Border Force has adopted in relation to the arrival in the UK of (1) Israeli nationals, and (2) individuals with joint UK–Israeli citizenship, who have served in the IDF.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Border Force’s number one priority is to keep our borders safe and secure, and we will never compromise on this.

Border Force would not comment on individual policies that could jeopardise border security.

Border Force performs checks on 100% of passengers arriving at the UK border on scheduled services, enabling interventions against those known or suspected to pose a risk to the national interest.

There are many reasons why a Border Force Officer may feel it necessary to ask additional questions to satisfy themselves of eligibility to enter. Officers carry out checks that are deemed necessary in accordance with immigration procedures.

In the UK, the Immigration Rules require all arriving passengers, regardless of their nationality or country they arrived from, to establish their eligibility for admission. To maintain a safe and secure border, a passenger’s passport or national identity card is checked. There are also times when extra checks are conducted.

The Sub-Committee on the Windsor Framework is conducting a new inquiry on strengthening Northern Ireland’s voice in the context of the Windsor Framework. The Windsor Framework now includes a complex institutional architecture, which has evolved over a number of years and has been added to by the Government’s recent announcements in the command paper ‘Safeguarding the Union’. The Committee’s new inquiry hopes to bring clarity to the various mechanisms and bodies established under the Windsor Framework and explore how the voices of Northern Ireland stakeholders, policymakers and politicians can be heard most effectively.