Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much UK Government funding has been provided for border security in northern France in each year since 2015.

The UK and France maintain a longstanding relationship on tackling illegal migration at the shared border; since 2015 the UK has committed several funding packages to supporting this work and to upholding security standards.

In 2015, both countries signed a Joint Declaration which committed £10 million towards security reviews of the juxtaposed controls and to moving migrants into reception centres across France. This was followed by payments in 2016 (£17 million) and 2017 (£36 million) to further strengthen the border and maintain the operation of the juxtaposed controls.

In January 2018 both countries signed the Sandhurst Treaty. As part of this package, the UK made a further commitment of €50 million (£45.5m), of which a significant portion was dedicated to improving border security infrastructure across Northern France.

Finally, in January 2019 the UK and France signed the Joint Action Plan on Combatting Illegal Migration Involving Small Boats. Under paragraph 11 of this plan, the UK committed €3.6m (approximately £3.25m) to tackling the issue and thereby further strengthening preventive security measures at the French coast. This funding has been spent over the course of the 19/20 Financial Year.