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Written Question
Human Trafficking: Boats
Tuesday 4th July 2023

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 19 June (HL8185), whether there is any way in which boats “disposed of by Border Force’s approved contractors” could be reused by people smugglers.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided to Question HL7826 on 23 May.


Written Question
People Smuggling: Boats
Monday 19th June 2023

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they have taken (1) to identify the source of boats used for people smuggling to the UK, and (2) to stop the supply of boats used for such smuggling from being obtained by the smugglers.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

The Home Office works closely with international partners and with manufacturers to tackle the supply of the small boats used in these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary crossings.

However, it would not be in the interests of operational security to detail the specific activities being undertaken.


Written Question
Human Trafficking: Boats
Monday 19th June 2023

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 30 May (HL7826), whether there is any way in which boats "disposed of by Border Force's approved contractors" could be reused by people smugglers.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

All vessels that have been subject to seizure are held by Border Force until completion of any criminal investigation activities.

The majority of boats are not fit for re-sale and unseaworthy, as they arrive in very poor condition and may be damaged during the recovery process.

The boats are disposed of by Border Force’s approved contractors and, where appropriate, any suitable materials are recycled. There are no plans to revisit these arrangements.


Written Question
Undocumented Migrants: English Channel
Tuesday 30th May 2023

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what arrangements are in place to dispose of boats used to bring illegal migrants across the English Channel; and whether they plan to revisit these arrangements.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

All vessels that have been subject to seizure are held by Border Force until completion of any criminal investigation activities. The majority of boats are not fit for re-sale or to ever go to sea again, as they arrive in very poor condition and may be damaged during the recovery process. The boats are disposed of by Border Force’s approved contractors and, where appropriate, any suitable materials are recycled. There are no plans to revisit these arrangements.


Written Question
Refugees: Ukraine
Thursday 24th March 2022

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government why they require biometric data from people seeking refugee status having fled from Ukraine; what assessment they have made of decision by the government of the Republic of Ireland not to require biometric information from such refugees; and what plans they have to review the Common Travel Area in response to this different approach.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Home Secretary updated Parliament on 10 March about the government's support for people fleeing Ukraine.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretary-update-on-support-for-ukrainians

The UK Government is firmly committed to maintaining the Common Travel Area arrangement for UK and Irish citizens. There is a high level of cooperation on border security between both the UK and Irish Governments to ensure all the necessary measures to protect and secure the Common Travel Area are being taken.


Written Question
Undocumented Migrants: English Channel
Thursday 2nd September 2021

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the factors enabling continued illegal immigration from France to England by boat across the Channel, (2) what, if any, impact the UK’s departure from the EU has had on those factors, and (3) whether the continued illegal immigration indicates that the UK has “taken back control” of its borders.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

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.


Written Question
Undocumented Migrants: Coronavirus
Thursday 2nd September 2021

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of COVID-19 PCR tests on illegal immigrants to the UK have returned a positive result; and of these positive samples, what percentage have now been genomically sequenced.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

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.


Written Question
Undocumented Migrants: Coronavirus
Thursday 2nd September 2021

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether immigrants entering the UK from France illegally are required to have a COVID-19 PCR test upon detection by police or immigration officers.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

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.


Written Question
Peers: Surveillance
Wednesday 14th July 2021

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to assist members of the House of Lords on whom MI5 hold files to submit a request to see those files.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Under Part 4 of the Data Protection Act 2018, pertaining to Intelligence services processing, subjects of information held by a UK intelligence service can request this information from the relevant service. Where the data continues to be held, the intelligence services must consider each subject access request on its merits and provide a response accordingly, except where it would be damaging to national security to do so.


Written Question
Peers: Surveillance
Monday 21st June 2021

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they intend to make for members of the House of Lords named as having MI5 files in the course of the Undercover Policing Inquiry to see those files.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Undercover Policing Inquiry is independent of the Home Office, and its independence is crucial to its effectiveness.

Disclosure is a matter for the Inquiry. Safeguarding the independence of the Inquiry is of paramount importance and it would not generally therefore, be acceptable for the Government to comment on or intervene in the Inquiry’s decision-making.

More information on the Inquiry’s evidence and disclosure process can be found on the Inquiry’s website at Evidence & hearings - UNDERCOVER POLICING INQUIRY (ucpi.org.uk)