Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have been detained in preparation for removal to France under the pilot small boat crossings returns scheme since 1 August 2025; and of those cases how many were (1) age disputed, and (2) found to be a child.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Operational details of the scheme are not disclosed outside of what has already been published as this may impact migrant behaviour or be exploited by organised crime gangs.
Removing minors to France is explicitly prohibited under Article 4(2)(d) of the Agreement.
Individuals are not removed to France where their age is in dispute, given the terms of the Treaty sets out that those removed will be individuals who have been determined to be an adult. We have recently seen several cases where migrants in this country are claiming to be children to prevent their removal.
This can happen despite having claimed to be an adult upon arrival in the country.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on whether anyone that has been removed from the UK in 2026 has subsequently re-entered the country via small boat.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This specific information is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant date could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Statistics on daily small boat arrivals to the UK are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats and information and statistics on returns can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-december-2025/how-many-people-are-returned-from-the-uk.
These show a 21% increase in enforced returns and a 23% increase in asylum‑related returns in 2025 compared with the previous year. Individuals who subsequently attempt to re-enter the UK illegally will be subject to enforcement action in line with existing immigration laws and their case will be considered for expediated return.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) operational, (b) logistical and (c) legal constraints on the the ability of the Royal Navy to conduct (i) deterrence or (ii) interdiction operations against small boat migrant people-smuggling activities within UK territorial waters in the English Channel.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Home Office, through the Border Security Command, is the lead Government Department responsible for tackling illegal migration and people‑smuggling in the English Channel. His Majesty’s Coastguard is responsible for search and rescue at sea. Their responses to the issue of small boat migration are underpinned by the UK’s legal obligations as a responsible maritime nation.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her department has assessed the potential impact of beach-based police interventions in northern France on recent trends in levels of deaths in the Channel; and what measures she is implementing to help minimise potential risks from such interventions.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Our ongoing partnership with French law enforcement prevented over 22,000 crossing attempts during 2025. We are working closely with the French to reduce the risk to life from these crossings and with partners across Europe to bring the smuggling gangs to justice. We will continue our work with the French Government to explore every avenue to understand what further can be done in the Channel to disrupt and deter small boat crossings.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of UK-funded French police operations on the safety and wellbeing of people attempting to seek asylum; and what steps she is taking to ensure accountability for violence committed by officers funded by the UK.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
It would be inappropriate for the Home Office to comment upon the composition or duties of French law enforcement units. It is important to emphasise that French law enforcement units necessarily operate independently of UK law enforcement, though there is regular liaison, information exchange, and alignment of operational approaches between the two countries.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what monitoring mechanisms exist to ensure that UK-funded activities in France, whether involving public authorities or private contractors, do not contribute to human rights violations against people on the move.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
France is a key partner in tackling OIC and joint work is seeing French personnel being deployed, supported by cutting-edge surveillance technologies and equipment; and more work is being done to disrupt organised criminal gangs through improved intelligence sharing.
Details of UK funding to France and its purpose are publicly available here:
The Government ensures that UK funded activities to prevent small boat crossings comply with human rights obligations through regular engagement with French counterparts, robust governance arrangements within the agreements, and ongoing monitoring and review processes to identify and address any potential risks promptly. These measures collectively safeguard against any breach of human rights while supporting the objectives of the agreements.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much UK public funding has been provided to the French Government under agreements relating to Channel operations since 2020; and for what specific purposes this funding has been used.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
France is a key partner in tackling OIC and joint work is seeing French personnel being deployed, supported by cutting-edge surveillance technologies and equipment; and more work is being done to disrupt organised criminal gangs through improved intelligence sharing.
Details of UK funding to France and its purpose are publicly available here:
The Government ensures that UK funded activities to prevent small boat crossings comply with human rights obligations through regular engagement with French counterparts, robust governance arrangements within the agreements, and ongoing monitoring and review processes to identify and address any potential risks promptly. These measures collectively safeguard against any breach of human rights while supporting the objectives of the agreements.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will declare a national emergency regarding the cross Channel small boat migration crisis.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The number of small boat crossings is too high and this Government is taking action. The Home Secretary has announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in decades, removing the incentives that bring illegal migrants to the UK and scaling up the return of those with no right to be here.
The Border Security Command is central to this effort, bringing together law enforcement, intelligence sharing, and international cooperation to disrupt smuggling networks and bring perpetrators to justice. For the first time, we have mobilised the whole of government and all operational partners to deliver a coordinated and prioritised range of activities in the UK and with partners overseas. Our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.
The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, which came into force on 5 January 2026, provides new powers to seize electronic devices from illegal migrants and introduces offences targeting small boat smuggling and concealment in vehicles. These measures strengthen our ability to disrupt organised immigration crime and reduce irregular migration.
Disruption of organised crime groups has intensified, increasing domestic action against organised immigration crime (OIC) via enhanced powers and intensified law enforcement operations, targeting upstream facilitators, disrupting OIC business models via targeting, the illicit financial flows, small boat equipment supply chains and online networks of organised crime groups (OCG)s.
We have boosted the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) capabilities through an extra £100 million funding which will pay for up to 300 extra NCA officers, state-of-the art detection technology and new equipment to smash the networks putting lives at risk in the Channel. This approach is working; the year ending September 2025, there were 3,162 OIC disruptions conducted by public bodies, 33% more than in the previous year (2,374). The number of OIC disruptions has steadily increased from an average of 392 disruptions per quarter in 2023, to 791 per quarter in the latest year.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what background checks her Department conducts on migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office conducts mandatory identity and security checks on all small boat arrivals.
As part of this process, the Home Office collects biometric data—such as facial images and fingerprints—to establish identity. These biometrics are checked against Home Office systems and other law enforcement databases, including Interpol’s wanted list. This enables us to identify individuals, assess whether they pose a risk to public safety, and determine any breaches of immigration law. These checks are essential to maintaining a secure, fair, and effective immigration system.
In line with the Refugee Convention, refugee status will be denied to those who have committed serious crimes, pose a danger to the community, or present a threat to national security.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who have crossed the English Channel in small boats have been linked to proscribed terrorist groups in each of the last three years.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The first priority of Government is protecting national security and the safety of UK citizens. All applications for UK immigration status, including for all those arriving through illegal migration routes, are subject to comprehensive checks.
It would not be appropriate to comment in detail on operational security matters or specific cases. However, where an individual is assessed as presenting a risk to our country, we take swift and robust action.
The Home Office uses various tools to detect and disrupt travel by criminals, by those posing a national security risk, and by individuals excluded from the UK or previously deported from the UK.