Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many e-gate failures Border Force has recorded in each of the last twelve calendar months.

It has never been government practice, for reasons of law enforcement, to comment on operational issues relating to border security and immigration controls. This includes offering commentary on the performance of border systems and of ePassport Gates data specifically.

The current eGate estate was upgraded in 2021. Incidents impacting the availability of eGates are proactively managed and the number of incidents is reducing.

The eGates process passengers arriving in the UK and provide a secure border check on approved travel documents and refer passengers to an officer if required.