Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2020 to Question 126060, what oversight the Government will have of the actions and conduct of French reservists from the Gendarmerie and Police Nationale deployed to tackle migrant activity in the Channel; what systems have been established to investigate allegations of mistreatment or abuse of migrants by French police during their deployment; and what the role is of the Government in that process.

We work closely with France to prevent Channel crossings by irregular migrants. In November the UK and France agreed a package of £28.1m to support a range of activity as part of ongoing efforts.

We jointly monitor, with France, the impact of that funding through daily operational contact and regular strategic reviews.

French personnel are responsible to the French Government and are therefore required to comply with French law, policies and processes. The UK Government would not be directly involved in any investigation into allegations made against French officers.

France is party to both the ECHR and the Refugee Convention and the UK Government is confident that France is fully in compliance with its obligations under both Conventions.