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Illegal Immigrants: Ostend

Volume 479: debated on Monday 21 July 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of people attempting to enter the UK illegally via Ostend in the most recent period for which figures are available. (218628)

The Belgian authorities estimate that in the first six months of 2008 they have prevented 632 separate clandestine attempts to enter the UK from Ostend.

These figures have been sourced from locally collated management information and do not represent National Statistics. They have not been the subject of National Statistics protocols and verification and should therefore be treated as provisional and subject to change.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to try to reduce the number of illegal immigrants entering the UK from Ostend via Harwich and other UK ports. (218629)

The creation of the UK Border Agency has further strengthened our border by enabling customs and immigration staff to work more effectively and efficiently alongside one another as a single team protecting our borders.

Harwich is one of five flagship ports where new ways of working have already been implemented. As part of this work, customs staff in Harwich received training and powers to search for clandestine entrants and to detain any illegal immigrants. This has led to increased coverage of the immigration risk at the port.

We cannot disclose specific information relating to Intelligence Operations or deployment of staff at specific UK ports, as this information could prove of significant value to those seeking to circumvent our border controls. To release such information would impede our ability to prevent and detect immigration and customs offenders, thereby prejudicing the security of the UK border.