Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer of 6 February 2019 to Question 215158 on UK-France Migration Committee, how much of the Euro 50 million committed under the terms of the Sandhurst Treaty has not been paid and for which no payment date has been set.

The UK-France Migration Committee meets on a bi-monthly basis and is hosted alternately by the UK and French Governments. Going forward, the Committee will continue to meet on this basis. Exact dates are finalised closer to the meetings, to ensure that the relevant senior officials and experts are able to attend.

In order to implement the terms of the Sandhurst Treaty, the UK made a commitment of €50 million. This funding package has been allocated to a variety of projects, including improvements to security infrastructure at the northern French ports, cooperation in facilitating returns, improving access to French domestic asylum procedures and ensuring that vulnerable migrants are provided with the support and care that they require. Precise details of these projects cannot be provided for reasons of security.

To date, €42.5 million of this package has been committed, and we are on track to allocate the remainder before the end of the 18/19 financial year. Both countries will continue to cooperate closely to prevent illegal migration and to maintain the security of our shared border as well as the operation of the juxtaposed controls.