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Immigration Officers

Volume 470: debated on Tuesday 8 January 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which (a) airlines and (b) airport operators have offered the Border and Immigration Agency financial assistance to pay for extra immigration officers; and how many such offers have been accepted. (163773)

The airport operator at Heathrow funds the staffing of Fast Track Immigration Controls. Fast Track offers travellers selected by participating airlines a discrete channel to the Immigration Control. The decision about who receives a fast track ‘ticket’ for this service is not an immigration one. Further discussions are ongoing at Luton, Stansted and Gatwick with a number of airlines and airport operators who have offered additional financial assistance for Primary Arrival Control services. However, due to the commercial nature of these discussions the details of the organisations cannot be disclosed.