Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
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 her migrant return agreement with the Albanian Government on the number of migrants from that country seeking to cross the English Channel in small boats.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Since the UK-Albania readmission agreement was signed in July 2021 we have seen over 1,000 Albanian foreign national offenders and immigration offenders removed from the UK, including some who crossed the channel illegally to come to the UK.
The UK and Albania pledged to fast track the removal of Albanians with no right to be in the UK wherever possible, and to send senior Albanian law enforcement to the UK to speed up processing and share information with our authorities. In co-operation with the Government of Albania, we are taking every opportunity to intercept the activities of organised criminal gangs and people smugglers, and speed up the removal of Albanians and other nationals with no right to be in the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has received legal advice on the operation of a push-back policy for boats carrying migrants in the English Channel.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
We do not routinely comment on the provision of legal advice.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the compatibility of potential plans to turn back small boats in the English Channel with international legal frameworks to which the UK is committed.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The Government considers all safe and legal options to stop unnecessary journeys to the UK including turning small boats around in the English Channel.
This approach fully complies with both the domestic and international legal frameworks to which the UK is committed. However, there are limited circumstances in which small boats can be turned around safely in the English Channel. In view of this, the policy is currently withdrawn and there are no current plans for the turnaround tactics to be reintroduced under Defence primacy.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether legal measures were introduced in the Nationality and Borders Act to enable law enforcement and Border Force to turn back small boats in the English Channel.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 includes legal measures to enable law enforcement agencies and Border Force to turn back small boats in the English Channel. However, the circumstances in which turnaround tactics may be deployed are limited due to the priority to maintain safety of life at sea.
Although the turnaround policy and procedures are currently withdrawn, the Government has not made any concessions as to the legality of the policy. There are no current plans for the turnaround tactic to be reintroduced under Defence primacy.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the potential number of migrants that will be prevented from entering the UK through small boats in the English Channel as a result of her intelligence sharing and policing agreement with France.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The department does not publish modelling of small boats controls.
This year our joint work with the French authorities has prevented more than 30,000 crossing attempts
The new arrangements builds on this by embedding UK officers within French operations for the first time.