Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that (a) the Border Force and (b) UK national security agencies are aware of the identities of high-risk individuals released in prisoner exchanges in the Middle East.

The Home Secretary has not had any engagement with Israeli authorities to discuss these matters. Since October 2023, a specialist team of experts from the FCDO have been providing support to family members in the UK and Israel. Officials have offered support to the hostage families forum, including through ministerial and senior official engagement.

We have also connected the families with specialist agencies and organisations that can offer practical and psychological support, including FCDO-funded partner Hostage International.

The Home Office uses various tools to detect and disrupt travel by terrorists, by criminals and by individuals excluded from the UK; previously deported from the UK; or using lost, stolen or revoked documents and visas. This includes the use of domestic and international watchlists.

It is a longstanding policy that HMG does not comment on the specific data held on the watchlist, how the data is used, or its source, as to do so would be harmful to the national security of the UK.