Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 8 February (HL Deb cols 1553-1554), why the figures on the number of migrants crossing the English Channel will in future be published on a quarterly, rather than daily basis.

The Home Office are currently considering advice from the independent UK Statistics Authority to make sure statistics on small boats crossing are published in an orderly way, which provides a clear picture of the small boats issue to the public. The Home Office has recently announced its intention to publish a quarterly statistics release on irregular migration to the UK, including the number of people arriving across the Channel in small boats. The first release will be on 24 February 2022. This will ensure regular statistics are released in an orderly, transparent way that is accessible to everyone, meeting the principles set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

No final decisions have been made in relation to the release of small boat numbers, beyond the quarterly publication, and further details will be confirmed in due course. In the meantime, the Home Office continues to provide these to journalists on days where we see arrivals.