Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost implications of using the armed forces during recent strike action taken at airports; and if she will provide details of the costs to her Department.

The Home Office’s priority is to deliver a safe and secure border and we will never compromise on this including during any period of Industrial Action.

The Home Office carefully considered many elements, including cost implications of using the armed forces, as we prepared our response to the industrial action being taken by PCS members. Together with the other contingencies we deployed, the deployment of armed forces personnel enabled all UK ports to remain open with minimal disruption, during the action taken in December. As the action by PCS is ongoing, it would not be appropriate for us to provide details on the costs to the Department.