Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support the Home Office to tackle illegal immigration.

Defence is currently providing the Home Office with parts of the Defence estate to aid with housing and processing cross-channel migrants. This includes Napier Barracks in Kent and, since December 2021, the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Manston. Discussions are underway to determine whether additional land and accommodation from the Defence estate might be made available, together with specialist personnel, to further increase capacity. As has been the case in the past, Defence has a number of vessels and surveillance capabilities available which can be made available if required to augment those of the Border Force in monitoring and intercepting migrants seeking to cross the Channel.

In addition, Defence is planning to take primacy for small boats migration in the English Channel under Operation ISOTROPE which will see the Royal Navy providing enhanced control and coordination of cross-Government assets in order to prevent the arrival of small boats on their own terms in the UK, whilst ensuring safety of life at sea.