Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Prime Minister’s speech on action to tackle illegal migration on 14 April 2022, whether the 16 new Ministry of Defence Police vessels commissioned in June 2021 under his Department’s contract with Marine Specialised Technology will be deployed primarily to undertake patrol duties in the Channel when they become operational in July 2022.

The 16 new vessels referred to have been procured for the Ministry of Defence Police to maintain their standing Defence Task to protect the Royal Navy Bases at Portsmouth, Faslane and Plymouth. There are no current plans for these vessels to be deployed under Operation ISOTROPE in support of managing small boats migration in the English Channel.