Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the net change in the number of arrivals under the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme, part of the UK-France Agreement.

Over 1,500 individuals have been returned to France since the pilot began with a similar number transferred to the UK under the pilot’s legal route.

This pilot demonstrates the impact of coordinated action to increase returns, and we will continue working alongside our French counterparts to combat smuggling gangs and their illegal crossings. Small boat crossings are down over 40% this year, with small boat arrivals this summer at their lowest in six years.