Illegal Immigration Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Illegal Immigration

Simon Baynes Excerpts
Tuesday 13th December 2022

(1 year, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Rishi Sunak Portrait The Prime Minister
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My hon. Friend makes an excellent and very clear point. At issue today is illegal migration, which has significantly increased in the past couple of years and is putting unsustainable pressure on our local communities and public services. It must end, and our reforms are a significant step forward in delivering that outcome.

Simon Baynes Portrait Simon Baynes (Clwyd South) (Con)
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Having been briefly the Minister for tackling illegal migration this summer, I warmly welcome the Prime Minister’s statement. Can he provide more details on how the new small boats operational command will help to ensure that no small boat can arrive undetected on our shores?

Rishi Sunak Portrait The Prime Minister
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I thank my hon. Friend for his support of our approach. The new small boat operational command will bring together our civilian capabilities, our military and the NCA in a more unified way than before and supplement that with new technology—aerial or land-based surveillance, drones and radar—and in doing all that will be able to maintain an exceptionally high interception rate and increase the level of prosecutions we currently see. I know that is something he will want to see happen.