Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what evidence they base their assessment that removal of support for rescue operations in the Mediterranean will deter or reduce the number of migrants attempting the crossing.

The decision to phase out the Mare Nostrum search and rescue arrangements in the Mediterranean was taken by Italy with support of all EU Member States, including the UK.

While the situation is complex, the doubling in numbers attempting the crossing this year has included a rise in numbers from countries with no major current conflict. There is also clear evidence of the exploitation of Mare Nostrum by people smugglers and traffickers who are sending migrants to sea without sufficient fuel or resources to make the crossing. We have seen the Italians draw closer and closer to the Libyan coast, with migrants in some cases using a satellite phone shortly after setting sail to call the Italian Navy to rescue them. We have also seen a recent trend of migrants now flying from Turkey to North Africa in order to make the sea crossing to Italy. Since Mare Nostrum began, UNHCR estimates that over 3,000 migrants have died in the Mediterranean Sea in 2014, compared to 600 for the whole of 2013.

The EU’s previous experience of a surge in crossings, following enhanced Frontex operations in 2008, also suggests that a withdrawal of enhanced maritime operations may lead to a decrease in numbers attempting the crossing. On that basis, the Government believes that the JHA Council was right to conclude that we need to pursue a different approach.