Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that French police assist migrants seeking to cross the Channel to the UK in small boats.

The UK works closely with the French Government and French law enforcement partners to prevent dangerous small boat crossings and tackle the criminal gangs that facilitate them.

Since the election, joint work with France has prevented more than 48,000 attempted crossings and resulted in the seizure of over 1,100 boats and engines. Operational decisions in French territorial waters remain a matter for the French authorities but reports of them assisting migrant journeys is a mischaracterisation of their activity.

Through the Home Secretary's latest deal we have strengthened this cooperation through increased French law enforcement deployments, specialist policing units, enhanced surveillance and intelligence sharing. France has also reviewed its maritime approach and authorised new interventions at sea to intercept taxi boats and prevent dangerous crossings.