Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on what mail is opened by Border Force.

Border Force routinely carries out risk based inspections of post and parcels imported into the UK. The purpose of this is to both deter and prevent the entry of goods that would harm the national interest and the safety of its citizens.

Section 159 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 as amended by regulation 7 of the Postal Packets (Revenue and Customs) Regulations 2011 provides the power for designated Customs officials to inspect, and open, any postal packet for the purpose of examining anything that designated Customs officials suspect it may contain, for example, goods which may not have duty paid or are prohibited or restricted. The interception of postal communications for investigatory purposes is not undertaken by Border Force, and can only be authorised for a competent authority by a warrant under Part 2 of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016.