Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of items of post entering the UK from (a) the Netherlands and (b) other EU member states opened by the Border Force (i) in the last five years and (ii) since 31 January 2020.

Border Force does not hold the data requested in an accessible format.

Border Force routinely carries out risk based inspections of post and parcels imported into the UK. The purpose of this is to both deter and prevent the entry of goods that would harm the national interest and the safety of its citizens.

Section 159 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 as amended by regulation 7 of the Postal Packets (Revenue and Customs) Regulations 2011 provides the power for designated Customs officials to inspect, and open, any postal packet for the purpose of examining anything that designated Customs officials suspect it may contain, for example, goods which may not have duty paid or are prohibited or restricted. A warrant is not obtained as it is not required for postal packet inspections.