Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 15 July (WA 111), whether in specifying the second generation of e-gates under the Border Systems Programme they took account of the border control systems in operation in the United States and Hong Kong.

When Border Systems drafted the requirements for the proposed next generation of ePassport gates, similar systems globally were reviewed and their merits were considered. This included those systems in the US (Global Entry and NEXUS/SENTRI) and Hong Kong (e-Channels). Border Systems works closely with its counterparts in the US and Hong Kong, and its representatives have visited both countries to assess and review the automation in operation. Reciprocal visits to the UK have also been made by those countries.