Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119446 on Animal and Plant Health Agency: Border Force, if she will publish recent changes made to the operational agreement between Border Force and the Animal and Plant Health Agency at the Port of Dover.

1) The decision to limit the detention time to 30 minutes from the point of notifying APHA was an agreed position between Border Force and APHA at Dover. The SLA commenced on the 24 January and its effectiveness will be assessed after 3 months.

2) Border Force and Defra meet regularly at the Border Force and Defra Steering Group to discuss ways of working to combat puppy smuggling. Border Force continues to work closely with APHA, referring every case identified at the border for the appropriate action.

3) Border Force and APHA have no plans to publish the local operational agreement between Border Force and the Animal and Plant Health Agency at the Port of Dover.

4) There have been no vehicles requiring referral to APAH since the commencement of the SLA.