Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the cost of the reconnaissance aircraft, which are involved in monitoring and identifying small boats carrying migrants, per annum, since the contract was signed.

The Home Office contracts an aerial surveillance capability in order to detect and monitor people making dangerous, illegal and unnecessary crossings of the Channel in small boats, rather than paying for the individual costs for this capability. Part of this capability is for manned surveillance aircraft provided by PAL Aerospace. This service was contracted on 29 October 2024 and lasts until 30 November 2026. The total value of the contract is £54m. Since 29 October 2024 nearly 56,000 lives have been saved as a result of these Channel crossings being detected at the earliest possible opportunity.