Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of (1) the rate, and (2) the character, of migration north from Sudan, Mali, Niger, Libya and the Mediterranean; and if so, what are the implications for the UK’s foreign and development policy of this assessment.

In the year up to June 2021, overall detections of irregular border crossings at the external land and sea borders of Europe were fairly stable compared with the previous year, up 11% to 151,150.

The UK has been a major contributor in the humanitarian response to the Mediterranean migration crisis, having allocated over £175 million since October 2015. We remain committed to engaging with European and other partners on a 'whole of route' approach to tackling the challenges and risks posed by irregular migration.