Asked by: Richard Tice (Reform UK - Boston and Skegness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) prevent illegal immigration and (b) reduce the number of asylum claims from individuals coming from safe countries.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
Since entering office, we have already launched the Border Security Command (BSC), led by Martin Hewitt, to strengthen our approach to prevent illegal migration. This will be backed with up to £75 million in new investment to build capability, taking the fight to criminals in Europe and beyond and directly targeting the criminal gangs behind small boat crossings.
The BSC will provide strategic direction across several agencies and partners, drawing together the work across the border security system. It will also work with international partners to disrupt the activity of criminal smuggling gangs and ensure those profiting from people-smuggling are brought to justice.
As set out in the King’s speech, this government will introduce new legislative measures to restore order to our border.
The proposed new legislation will include provisions to give the border security system stronger powers to disrupt, investigate and prosecute facilitators of organised immigration crime.
Asked by: Richard Tice (Reform UK - Boston and Skegness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure the adequacy of border checks in the context of criminality rules for applications for entry clearance; and what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of border security measures.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Arriving passengers are examined by Border Force and checked against Home Office systems before being allowed into the UK. The system is used by Home Office staff for the purposes of national security and the detection and prevention of crime. It is longstanding policy not to discuss either the specific data held; the source of the data, nor how it is used, as to do so would be counterproductive and not in the public interest.
We have been clear that we will strengthen our border security. Resources are being redeployed to go after the organised criminal gangs who undermine our border security and put lives at risk in small boats. Our new Border Security Command will strengthen our global partnerships and enhance our efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those who are facilitating the small boat crossings. The threats we face span geographic boundaries, and we will work closer with international partners, further developing the positive relationships already built by this Government.